You Told Me! Poem by Randy McClave

You told me to always love my neighbors
And to model the life of the Lord Jesus,
To be kind and considerate after hard labors
And to stand up for the bullied and those in distress

You told me to love all people
And to consider others as more important than me,
'Red and yellow, black and white all under the same steeple"
You told and taught me that was true Christianity.

You told me that we are all precious in God's sight.
We sang it together, pressing the volume pedal and learning,
Our hearts into the chorus gave us the might
Inside our souls God's ways was yearning

You told me to love my enemies
To even do good to those who wish me me bad,
You told me to never 'hate' anyone as a disease
And to always sing when I feel hurt or sad.

You told me it's better to give than it is to receive
To always be last instead of the first,
And to no one should I ever trick or deceive
And unto no one should I ever mock or ridicule or curse.

You told me that money doesn't bring happiness
And how the love of money can even lead to evil,
Taking care of the needs of others should always be a "Yes"
When you bring great joy and life to the soul it's regal.

You told me that Jesus looks at what I do
At the least-of-these as the true depth of my belief,
Jesus told me to say, "I love you"
As on the cross he said to the forgiven thief.

You told me to focus on my very own sin
Instead of me trying to police it in or on others,
We are all equal you told me no matter of the color of the skin
And how we are each one's sisters and brothers.

You told me to be accepting and also forgiving
And to always turn the other cheek,
Life is to always help others while we are living
Heaven, we should always righteouslyseek.

You told, me and I always paid attention
I took every lesson very spiritually,
In God's prayer your name I always did mention
I believed everything that you showed and taught me seriously.

You told me to be a Christian provider
But now, you call me a libtard and a queer-lover,
You also called me 'woke" and a backslider
And a veer sinful person under cover.

You told me in God's love we would all dwell
And then you called me a child of the devil, a heretic,
You called me a false prophet, a reprobate leading people to the gates of hell
Then you told me that I made the Lord sick.

You told me to help and understand and pray
Then you called me soft, a snowflake, and a socialist,
What the hell did you expect me to do or say
As I am a saved God fearing Baptist.

You told me that with Jesus I should always start
You then passed out the 'WWJD' wrist bands,
I then took it all to my soul and heart.
As I always followed your leadership and commands.

We were once friends, but now the lines have been drawn
You hate nearly all the people that I learned to love,
I thought you were serious, apparently you were a con
I now wonder what was you truly thinking of.

You stand against nearly all the things that I stand for
I'm trying to see a way forward, but it's hard when I survey all the hurt
The harm, and the darkness that comes in the wake can be no more
My faith in God and his children, I will not ever desert.

What the hell did you expect me to make,
I truly believed where you thoughts and beliefs came from,
I now see you as a fake
Which now leaves me wondering, what have you become.

Randy L. McClave