Kind to the Ungrateful and Wicked

 Here's a poem for National Poetry Month! It is largely inspired by the account of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that is given in Luke 6. I am particularly moved by The Lord's radical command to not only love those who love us but to go beyond that and love our enemies and pray for them! Just as God our Father is kind and merciful to the ungrateful and wicked, so we must be too. And it's even easier to do that when we realize that so often we ourselves are the ungrateful and wicked. Yet God's rich mercy and grace still reaches to us despite this and brings us back to restoration when we return to Him in repentance. We who are forgiven so much must be willing to forgive others as well. Let us follow our Lord's example and command to show love to all, especially those we think deserve it least.


Kind To The Ungrateful and Wicked
(poem copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/12/2022)
(Genesis 1:14-19, Genesis 1:26-31, Psalms 8, Psalms 139, Psalms 118:24, Matthew 5:38-48, Luke 6:27-38, James 1:17, Colossians 1:13-17, Job 38-42, Psalms 90, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Romans 5:8, John 15:12-17, John 13:1-20, Matthew 5:13-16, James 1:19-20, Romans 2:1-4, Ephesians 4:29-32, Ephesians 5:1-2, Revelation 19:11-16, Luke 7:40-50, Psalms 103, Psalms 150, Matthew 7:12, Romans 13:8-14, Romans 12, 1 Peter 2:9-12, Malachi 4:2, Galatians 6:2, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 3:16-22, 2 Thessalonians 3:13, Jeremiah 31:3)

Welcome to My morning- welcome to My day
The blue sky and sunshine a backdrop to birds' refrain
The morning dew on each petal like a mint on your hotel pillow
Everything about today's been prepared for you in advance
Blink your eyes open in bed, roll down the window and stick out your head
Take in a big breath of fresh air- the same breathed since ages past
Go forth to face the day made for you and written before time
Filled with its share of toil mingling with peace and rest
Carefully arranged by The One Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
How many walk oblivious to the obvious blessings that surround them
Every breath that fills their lungs a fresh gesture of grace
Every heartbeat is one more that they weren't obligated to receive
And people go on their merry ways with nary an upward gaze
Choices are made in twenty four hour spans with after effects that still send shock waves for days or maybe years
Some even echo in eternity, bathed in blackness or light
The Eternal Time Keeper watches it all play out on Earth
As He holds everything together and intervenes with Divine authority and supreme knowledge both here and across the universe
The Giver of all good gifts makes every day like Christmas
The Gift given that day can still be unwrapped afresh each new day
Though sadly some stubbornly refuse but this never sways His mood
His eyes still look eternally with love on them through tears
He sends the sun each dawn to shine on the wicked and righteous alike
He sends the rain in its season on both the good and bad
Yet the ugly is in all of humanity and only The Beautiful One can transform it
The Beauty became the beast after Snow White bit the poison apple
The silver bullet crisscrossed His heart to render Him dead to pay for all misdeeds
Grace personified walked out of the grave with a real life fairy tale ending
All those who give themselves over to endless Love's entreaty
Can live each day with joy looking forward to living happily ever after in Love's kingdom
And in each staggering step of this race that inches ever closer to eternity's edge
Mercy's transformed miscreants must administer mercy to all just like The Father of Mercy
For even though the ungrateful and wicked spurn His open arms with sneers
He exudes kindness on them relentlessly throughout life and beyond
Even in eternity, His kindness won't force folks to be with Him who reject Him
And in the time allotted before the final breaths are lent to frames of dust and rib
Every moment is the time for lovingkindness to lavishly wash each other's feet
No matter the response, the seeds must still get water and sunshine that they might yet grow
Only God decides on the growth in accordance with the willingness of human beans
And as His kindness brought us to repentance who grow in His vine
May we continually extend olive branches of love that overwhelm all like a flood
Those who are forgiven much also love both God and man much
Man's anger accomplisheth not God's righteousness- and man can't control outcomes
Faithful obedience calls for trust in The Faithful and True one who is always good
Let Mercy lead us to never respond to hostility in kind- but in tireless kindness
That the world might know and give thanks to the embodiment of Good
Who still welcomes us each morning to the new day He has made that we 
Should rejoice and be glad in it and shine like the Sun of righteousness
That the world might see our good deeds, love and kindness and glorify the
Author of all Good and Love and Joy Whose heart is wonderfully kind.