Lessons for the Pastor

THE UNFORGIVING FATHER
By Benjamin Miller

There was a Patriarch Jacob
Who gave us the 12 Tribes
It was hard to forgive his sons
For on Joseph on whom they had lied.

But there was another Unforgiving Father
His name was Jacob too
And though he served the poor and needy–
He only asked us to keep it true.

But this Unforgiving Father
Will feed you and help when he can
We thank him and try to keep it true
But our sickness he can not understand.

If his kindness was taken for granted, he sometimes held it inside.
Feeling he'd been taken advantage, his feelings he no longer would hide.

It was difficult when he saw us later..
for him to let go of the past.
The tone in his voice made it harder,
And his stare only made it last.

But when he asked me to forgive him
For not forgiving me
My heart felt so good
We both were set at Liberty.

I thank God the Father for forgiveness
Of both of our many sins
Thank God for forgiving Father Jacob
And me, his son Benjamin.

Lessons for the Pastor
The story behind this poem is the story of our every day life in the Loaves and Fishes Food Program. Benjamin, who is a poet and has read his poems at Christmas time when we have had our Christmas dinners for the poor, once was in a very bad state and took some food off one of the trucks that we were unloading and hid it. He was seen and called out and chastised for his behavior. Every time I would see him after that, I would in some way or another bring it to his remembrance, even though he had apologized. He wrote this poem about the whole matter...
THE UNFORGIVING FATHER By Benjamin Miller There was a Patriarch Jacob Who gave us the 12 Tribes It was hard to forgive his sons For on Joseph on whom they had lied. But there was another Unforgiving Father His name was Jacob too And though he served the poor and needy– He only asked us to keep it true. But this Unforgiving Father Will feed you and help when he can We thank him and try to keep it true But our sickness he can not understand. If his kindness was taken for granted, he sometimes held it inside. Feeling he'd been taken advantage, his feelings he no longer would hide. It was difficult when he saw us later.. for him to let go of the past. The tone in his voice made it harder, And his stare only made it last. But when he asked me to forgive him For not forgiving me My heart felt so good We both were set at Liberty. I thank God the Father for forgiveness Of both of our many sins Thank God for forgiving Father Jacob And me, his son Benjamin.	Click here for a nice, printable PDF version of this poem.