May It Be Just as I Imagined It Was as a Child

In this world of Yours that’s meant to be sacred

You do know that there’s such terrible hatred,

Conflicts, wars and seemingly constant strife.

Surely You didn’t want this as our way of life?

I hope it isn’t that You willed that hate

Should be here man’s permanent fate.

Do tell me that You did not want it so.

Intuitively, I can say, this I know,

That You mayn’t have decreed things to be this way,

For this world of Yours to be under hatred’s sway.

When I was a child, I didn’t at all know

That in Your world there was such strife and woe.

Oh in the fairy tales I read, in children’s story books,

How very different this world of Yours looks!

I then had no idea there was such hate and fear,

How different then did Your world appear!

Maybe You’ve given us the gift of choice,

To hate or love, to detest or rejoice.

If that is so, what I can possibly do

If in my quest for peace I’m really true

Is to choose to love as much as I can,

For maybe this is the only way for man

To overcome hate and help bring peace.

Lead me to love, then, I ask You, please.

May love reign in Your world, all reconciled,

Just as how I imagined it was when I was a child.