But, Lord, I Was Right!

Vidicate Me

“Vindicate me, Lord!” I cried
When, to my shame,
I, the one to blame,
Have His grace and goodness tried.

“See yourself now,” He replied
“How, much in sin,
You yearned to win
And with that heart My strength denied.”

“Cleanse my heart, Lord, then abide.
As now I see
Your strength in me
Is only shown when I confide.”

*      *      *      *      *

I wanted to take a short break from the theme of Vanity and Value (although in some ways, everything has to do with vanity and value), and post this short poem I wrote when I was in the midst of a relational conflict. I kept butting heads with a person I knew and for the most part it seemed like they were the ones at fault. And perhaps they were. I knew I was right, at least in the things I said, but my “rightness” had something driving it that wasn’t so right.

The conflict wouldn’t go away, and I kept repeating myself, thinking, “I’m saying nothing wrong.” But it got worse. I started getting accused of wrong motives and other such things. I would run to God and pray, “make them see I’m right!” But when the accusations continued, and I began seeing my own high-mindedness, God gave me a lesson in humility. The conflict didn’t only have to do with getting to a theoretical truth, but getting to it with the right attitude. This was the soil in which this poem germinated and sprang to life.