We were wrong, a confession — Lauren Mallaby, Australia

We were wrong:

We were wrong
when we closed the door
and you needed us most.
The people who claimed
to follow a man who
never closed doors
appeared to slam ours
when you were despairing
confused
hurt
hopeless
broken
hungry
thirsty
for more.

We were wrong
when we pretended we couldn’t see
didn’t know
what was going on
behind closed doors
behind the safety of the cross
When you needed us most
we turned a blind eye
“you must be wrong”
“they wouldn’t do that”
“don’t tell lies”

We were wrong
when we refused to believe
refused to call out wrong as wrong
when we refused to feed the hungry
clothe the naked
encourage the fallen
counsel the broken
love the lost
encourage your questions

We were wrong
and still are wrong today
when we refuse to believe
that any wrongdoing
happened in our place
in our sanctuary
in our safe spaces
that turned out to be
not very safe
for you.

We are still wrong today
when we turn you away
for who you love
or where you were born
for the truth that you tell
where you live
or how you express your faith.

We were wrong,
and we still are wrong today
when we claim that
we were right
when in fact
the pain we caused
the hurt we brought
the reason you moved
away from community, faith, God
is because we were wrong.

Featured image above: ‘The Holy Family’ by Kelly Latimore

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