Before the Throne

As I kneel in submission

Before your throne, O God

There, I see the worst of me

Yet there, I am the best I can be.

In your Holy, shining presence

I see the grime of my own stature.

My impure motives and self-centeredness

Become undeniably evident next to You.

I am but a speck of dust before the sun,

My filthy insignificance pierces me

And I am prostrate before You.

Unworthy to be in Your presence.

At the same time You raise my head

You look with burning love into my eyes.

The filth and grime melt away,

And my soul is filled with meaning.

In Your presence I am somebody.

I have the unconditional love of my Maker,

Who made me just as I am,

A vessel fashioned for Your holy purposes.

When I bring myself before the throne

There are no pretenses.

For the worst of me is revealed

And the best of me is realized.

Patti McCarthy Broderick

March 2003