i confess

"I bless Thee, O most holy God, for the unfathomable love whereby Thou hast ordained that spirit with spirit can meet and that I, a weak and erring mortal, should have this ready access to the heart of Him who moves the stars.

With bitterness and true compunction of heart I acknowledge before Thee the gross and selfish thoughts that I so often allow to enter my mind and to influence my deeds.

I confess, O God--

that often I let my mind wander down unclean and forbidden ways: 

that often I deceive myself as to where my plain duty lies: 

that often, by concealing my real motives, I pretend to be better than I am:  

that often my honesty is only a matter of policy:  

that often my affection for my friends is only a refined form of caring for myself:  

that often my sparing of my enemy is due to nothing more than cowardice:  

that often I do good deeds only that they may be seen of men, and shun evil ones only because I fear they may be found out.

O holy One, let the fire of Thy love enter my heart, and burn up all this coil of meanness and hypocrisy, and make my heart as the heart of a little child." ~John Baillie