A Cleansing Prayer

Merciful God,
immerse me in your love;
scrub off the smears and smudges,
the blood and mud,
the hatred and the hurts.

Rinse it all away
and cleanse my soul.

I feel as grimy
as a pair of old gym socks;
gray and soiled
and stinking.

Fears and failures,
rage and resentment,
lies and alibis
have stained my heart
and darkened my spirit.

You know me too well
to accept any excuses;
I know what I should do,
and can tell the difference
between the dark
and the light.

Then ego takes over;
the Center is lost
to my arrogance —
I miss the path
and stumble
into the mire.

You’ve every right,
Most-Holy One
to cast me aside:
worn out and worthless,
the rubbish heap
is the place where I belong.

But You are the Merciful,
author of compassion,
slow-to-anger,
quick-to-forgive,
ever-faithful —
even to the faithless;
laboring always
to redeem the lost.

I shall be cleansed;
whiter than white,
fresh and bright
renewed, restored,
alight with love
and filled with rejoicing.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
let the very best shine forth,
wash away every evil,
refresh my spirit
with hope and holiness,
and I will sing
love songs to You
forevermore.