'Almost' Saved, .. Is Called Lost! Poem by Gregory Krabbe

The darkness filled the corners of his dark and weary eyes,
The room was still and lonely with an ere that terrifies,

He stirred when his young daughter came, and met his longing gaze,
He said, “Lorraine, I guess I’m in my last remaining days, ”

She said to him, “I know you are, but you don’t have to be,
For years I’ve tried explaining you could live eternally, ”

“That Jesus thing”, her father snapped, “been down that road before, You know I’m not a saint, in fact I’m rotten to the core, ”

“I cheated on your mother, and I’ve never been to church,
Got another woman pregnant then I left her in a lurch,

“I’ve lied to every boss I’ve had, and I’ve stolen here and there,
I probably wouldn’t tell you this but it’s too late to care, ”

“So here I am near death, and only want to say good bye, and you insist on giving my redemption one more try, ”

She said, “It’s like I told you Dad, It’s not about your score,
If that was true, no one would reach, the stoop of heaven’s door,

“But Jesus paid the awesome price, we only need believe,
Salvation is the only way your loss I needn’t grieve,

She looked away and said, as he began to softly cry, “Believers know that Christ is life, because they never die, ”

“I always knew you loved me Dad, and I know you’ve made mistakes, It’s true that as a father, you don’t take too many cakes, ”

“See Dad, I’ve had my troubles because I’m imperfect too, I caused them by myself, and learned some others watching you”,

While staring out the window, broken hearted for his loss, she witnessed of her peace ‘cause she had knelt before the cross,

“Dad you know that God can turn your evil into good, He sent His Son to save us, He’s the only one that could,

“You’re wrong to think salvation is just based on what you’ve done, forget about your past and think about His risen Son”,

She turned back from the window, and she knelt beside his bed, She cried though when she saw his cause she knew that he was dead,

“Oh Daddy I’m so sorry, how I wish you could have known, you could have gone to heaven, but instead you’ve died alone”,

She told me of this story, and she questions still today,
how many People come to Christ before they pass away,

I too think about her father, and if other people wait,
to never wake another day and find it is too late.


Gregory Krabbe
Greenville, SC
krabbegreg@yahoo.com