The Policeman stood and faced his God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining as brightly as his brass.
“Step forward now, officer. How shall I deal with You?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To my Church have you been true?”
The officer squared his shoulders and said,
“No, Lord, I guess I ain’t.
Cause those of us who carry badges can’t always be a saint.
But I never took a penny that wasn’t mine to keep,
Though I worked a lot of overtime when the bills just got too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help, though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God forgive me, I wept unmanly tears.
I know I don’t deserve a place among the people here.
They never wanted me around except to calm their fear.
If you’ve a place for me here, Lord, it needn’t be so grand.
I’ve never expected or had too much.
But if you don’t, I’ll understand.”
There was silence all around the throne where the saints had often trod.
As the officer waited quietly for the answer of his God.
“Step forward now, Officer, you’ve borne your burdens well.
Come walk a beat on Heaven’s Streets. You’ve done your time in Hell.”
-Author Unknown
I am sort of becoming a fan of your blog! we never hear the stories of policemen! we listen to army men, adore them and admire them but cops… well…
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Thank you so much Sharmishtha. You are so right, in that part of the world it is the army men who are admired and adored, but you know the reason why policemen do not enjoy the same privilege. Here in North America things are different and police plays a major role in everyday public life in a very positive way. At the same time Military is also admired but military men are not that visible in uniforms in daily public life. We rarely get to see any. Thanks for a very lovely comment. Made me smile.
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Thank you for sharing this beautiful prayer, Samina. You’re the best!
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Thank you so much Jill for such an encouraging and lovely comment as always. I liked this prayer and thought I will share it with all of my blogger friends. One more thing there was confusion in some of my friends who thought that I had just nominated them for the peace award and not the other bunch of awards. I thought I will let you know too that I nominated everyone and ofcourse including you for all the awards that were on that post (no rules). I thought I will clarify the issue. Thanks and take care.
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It’s truly a beautiful prayer, Samina. Thank you for the nominations, no rules..that makes it even better. 🙂 I nominate you for all of the awards as well as the biggest heart award. Of course, no rules for you…except, keep writing these wonderful and inspirational posts. Have a great weekend!
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I solemnly promise to keep writing the wonderful and inspirational posts since I love the biggest heart award from you. God bless you and you too have a great weekend.
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They do a really good job ! See you ! 🙂
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Thank you so much my friend for such a nice comment. Take care.
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Thank you for this blog , as an ordinary citizen I have always depended on and assumed that the police would always be there for my protection and that of my loved ones. I know they must be very brave or crazy or a bit of both to do what they do and I am grateful. Thank you for sharing the ‘human side’ of those that serve and protect. Oh and I am reblogging this beautiful post of today.
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Thank you so much for honoring my blog with such lovely and kind words. It has made my day. Also I appreciate your sharing this beautiful prayer on your blog. Without our protectors protecting us our world would be a big chaos. It is a great feeling to know that you will be helped in your hour of need and that we are not alone. Thanks once again for such beautiful words of encouragement. Take care and God bless you.
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Reblogged this on myownheart.me.
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Reblogged this on James' World 2.
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This a beautiful poem/ prayer I have also seen it as the solider’s prayer. I hope you are well and happy have a good weekend!xx
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Thank you so much for liking this beautiful prayer. I found it on Facebook. I am well and happy as usual. Thanks for asking and you take care and enjoy a lovely weekend. Your royal baby is much awaited here in Canada as well. I am dying to hear the good news soon.
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Just had a good look around your blog..
Good on you, brilliant blog…
I shall read more…
x
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WOW! Thanks Shaun. Do read more when you ever you feel like. Take care.
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I will, thank you…
x
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Great Post! Here in the states there is a lot of talk bandied about supporting our troops which is important, but I frequently find that those who thump their chest and proudly proclaim their support for our troops over-seas often forget about the brave men and women of both the police and firefighters who put themselves in harms way everyday. They are forgotten even though most of them accept the risk longer than most of those serving over-seas. I don’t want to detract from the importance of those who serve in the military I only want to remind others that there are those who pay the highest price for the honor of protecting the people at home… Thank you again for the great post!
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Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment. I appreciate your feelings and I respect deeply the service you provide to the people for their safety and security. God bless you all. Carry on the vital work, we all depend on you. Thank you once again for your visit. Take care and have a lovely day.
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You are so right Samina, In India also we always read about how corrupt policemen are, All news channels keep quiet when they do brave and just deeds. Loved your blog, different from others. We all need to know about them. This is the first blog I’m reading about policemen. Nice job. Keep it up. Blessings, take care.
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Thank you so much Indira for such kind words about my blog. You have made my day my friend. It is true when policemen do good deeds the media does not pay attention and when they are strict to maintain law and order they are criticized. My blog honors the law enforcement officers-police officers since our society would be in a state of mayhem without them. I am very pleased with your visit. We will keep in touch. Take care and God bless you.
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An outstanding and worthy tribute!
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Thank you so much. Take care and have a lovely day.
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wow Love this…..A very well written piece 🙂 Love your blog !
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Thank you so much my friend. No doubt this is a beautiful prayer. Thanks for liking my blog. See you soon. Take care and have a lovely day.
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What beautiful prayer, s
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Reblogged this on The Central KY Patriot and commented:
A Police Officer’s Prayer
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Thanks once again for sharing my post my friend. Take care and God bless.
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Reblogged this on hugmamma's MIND, BODY and SOUL and commented:
We don’t always credit those who stand between us…and the bullet. It’s not a job I would want for anyone I hold dear, for when they leave home in the morning the possibility always exists, more so than most jobs, that these men and women will…not return home. So while I may not always agree with the actions of a few, I salute their resolve to protect our communities and neighborhoods from those who would inflict harm. God bless them as they go about their work, and hold a place for them in heaven when it’s…their time to go to their final home.
…hugmamma.
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Thank you so much for honoring me by sharing this beautiful prayer with your friends. I appreciate it greatly. I agree with your thoughts and views about the everyday work of our protectors and their noble commitment to save lives at whatever the price. And in most cases they give the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and protected. We can honor them, bless them with our prayers and good wishes and try to support their actions through our words. God bless them for the good that they do for us to make this world a secure place for us to live. I am touched by your caring comment about our guardians. Take care and God bless.
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Reblogged this on Samina's Forum for police support.
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Good night friends! Sleep well and sweet dreams, and smiles when you’re sleeping
We hear tomorrow night as beautiful and quiet!
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A touching, very real prayer, Samina! I shared it with my son-in-law, who is a wonderful small town police officer. Thank you.
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Thank you so much Marylin for sharing the prayer with your son-in-law. I appreciate your gesture my friend. Take care and God bless.
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My nephew is a police officer with the metropolitan police in London. I am so proud of him, he is a truly good, kind and professional man- 34 years old. I admire the work you all do.
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