Hamartano

missing the mark 

A lie 

misses the mark of truth 

Envy 

misses the mark of gratitude 

Avarice 

misses the mark of generosity 

Pride 

misses the mark of humility  

Hatred 

misses the mark of love 

Bitterness 

misses the mark of grace 

Fear 

misses the mark of trust  

But the mark 

was never horizontal 

never set 

by the shifting lines 

of men 

 

It was always higher 

fixed 

beyond reach 

yet calling us upward 

not to condemn the miss 

but to reveal the aim—

We do not look around 

to find it 

we do not look within 

to define it 

we look up 

to the One 

who is 

truth 

when we lie 

gratitude 

when we envy 

generosity 

when we grasp

 

love 

when we hate 

grace 

when we harden—

The mark 

is not a standard 

It is a Person 

And every miss 

is not the end 

but the invitation 

to lift our eyes 

and try again 

“I press toward the mark …” 

© Ron Simpson Jr.