Defined by sin
this burden I have carried
for so long
I am not me
I am wrong
filled with evil
Falling short of the glory
seen only in the filth
of my confused choices
I struggle to understand
a Father who can love
when there is nothing good
in me
why would He choose
unless it was to,
in some strange way
redeem me only because
it made Him look good
Then I read the words
simple yet so strong
Sin is not what defines
created humanity, my humanity is
and then I understand
why a Father who loves
chose to do so
because He saw in me
reflection of Him
and He said, it was very good
(c) Maria Lombart
Please note: this is not intended to imply that I have goodness of my own; rather it is to honour God as my Creator, who sees in me His reflection, who created me purposefully in that way, and who forgives because He does not define me by my sin but as His daughter lovingly created to serve Him. The inspiration for the poem was taken from What a Woman Is Worth, a collection of essays edited by Tamara Lunardo.
