---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Short Testament Whatever harm I may…"
description: "\"“A Short Testament Whatever harm I may have done In all my life in all your wide creation If I cannot repair it I beg you to repair it, And then there ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/anne-porter-141469_bare-branches_a-short-testament-whatever-harm-i-may-ha_1656549.jpg"
---

#  A Short Testament Whatever harm I may have done In all my…

![“A Short Testament Whatever harm I may have done In all my life in all your wide creation If I cannot repair it I beg you to repair it, And then there are all the wounded The poor the deaf the lonely and the old Whom I have roughly dismissed As if I were not one of them. Where I have wronged them…” quote by Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/anne-porter-141469_bare-branches_a-short-testament-whatever-harm-i-may-ha_1656549.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/anne-porter-141469_bare-branches_a-short-testament-whatever-harm-i-may-ha_1656549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/anne-porter-141469_bare-branches_a-short-testament-whatever-harm-i-may-ha_1656549.jpg)

> ““A Short Testament Whatever harm I may have done In all my life in all your wide creation If I cannot repair it I beg you to repair it, And then there are all the wounded The poor the deaf the lonely and the old Whom I have roughly dismissed As if I were not one of them. Where I have wronged them by it And cannot make amends I ask you To comfort them to overflowing, And where there are lives I may have withered around me, Or lives of strangers far or near That I've destroyed in blind complicity, And if I cannot find them Or have no way to serve them, Remember them. I beg you to remember them When winter is over And all your unimaginable promises Burst into song on death's bare branches.””

Anne Porter

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A plea to God for forgiveness and remembrance of the wounded, acknowledging human failings and seeking divine comfort.

**In simple terms:** Ask God to remember and heal the suffering.

Key Takeaway

Pray for compassion and redemption.

Themes

spirituality forgiveness compassion humanity prayer

Mood

somber hopeful

Type

Bare branches:0 Bible:0 Death:0 Forgiveness:1 God:1 Life:0 Poetry:0 Testament:0 Short Testament:0 Testament Harm:0 Beg Remember:1 Serve Remember:0

When to use this quote

- church services
- personal prayer
- community outreach

Key Concepts

suffering remembrance redemption

Questions to Reflect On

- Who do we need to remember?
- How can we act on compassion?

A Different Perspective

Divine promises may feel distant.

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[Bare branches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bare-branches/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testament/)

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