No doubt about it. This journey on earth is inundated with trials and tribulations…stress, sorrow, pain, illness, heartache, and more.    As long as we live trouble will be there to greet us.  Job reminds us ,   “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1)  Okay…we can all agree….our time on earth is quite short  and full of grief. This is a given.

Some trials are powerfully difficult indeed.   Seeing your folks pass on or losing a  loved one ranks among the most heart wrenching trials.  Losing a child would…well…there are no words to describe this sort of pain.  I can imagine it is hundred times worse than any other. Then there are the ordinary things to deal with like illnesses, financial struggles, unemployment, relationship issues, chronic pain,  difficulties at work.  Even more ordinary…..problems with children…struggling learners,  disobedience, disagreements, and all that goes with family life.    Even more ordinary… losing things, traffic, housework, the telephone ringing all day… more struggling.  Does it ever end? Not in our lifetime.

What about the good times.  When do they come?  Indeed, life has so much joy as well.  New babies added to a family are probably a highlight…holiday gatherings can be really wonderful.  Then there are the ordinary days when great things happen such as finally learning to ride a bike without training wheels,  learning to swim, to read…understanding difficult math concepts.   Now this is a reason to celebrate…perhaps with a bowl of ice-cream. 🙂 Sharing a meal together, cooking together and making music together. Ordinary family life can bring such joy and peace sometimes.  So we agree that life will offer good and bad days…both joy and sorrow.

Do you remember reading the story Old Yeller?  Remember the boy Travis and his old yeller dog?  He grew to love that dog more than anything else in the world.  Remember how he felt when he had to shoot Old Yeller because the dog contracted rabies?  Travis was  destroyed and completely torn up by this. He said it was just as if he was shooting one of his own folks. Travis didn’t care about anything anymore…He didn’t even want to care about the new horse that his dad brought him. He did not want to have joy again.  I love the conversation between Travis and his very wise Papa at the end of this story.

Here’s what Papa says to Travis  after he lost his dog: ”It’s not a thing you forget. I don’t guess it’s a thing that you ought to forget. What I mean is, things like that happen. They may seem mighty cruel and unfair, but that’s how life is part of the time. But that isn’t the only way life is. A part of the time, it’s mighty good. And a man can’t afford to waste all the good part, worrying about all the bad parts. That makes it all bad...You understand?”

Travis’ papa understood what Job understood.  Life is short and full of troubles.  We better try to be happy during the good times.  We had better not dwell too long  on  bad times or our lives will be all bad…all the time.

Proverbs 17:22  A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Not many poems grab me; but this one from a lovely little book entitled “Poems for Memorization”  did.  I hope it grabs you too.

“Wilt thou follow Me?”

The Saviour asked.

The road looked bright and fair;

And filled with youthful hope and zeal

I answered, “Anywhere.”

“Wilt thou follow me?”

Again He asked.

The road looked dim ahead;

But I gave one glance at His glowing face:

“To the end, dear Lord, ” I said.

“Wilt thou follow Me?”

I almost blanched,

For the road was rough and new.

But I felt the grip of His steady hand

And it thrilled me through and through.

“Still followest thou?”

‘Twas a tender tone,

And it thrilled my inmost heart.

I answered not, but He drew me close,

And I knew we would never part.

This simple  song written years ago was from my heart.  Noticing that  our God given liberties were being taken away, I felt compelled to sing about it.  Sadly, it is our proud progressive friends who supposedly believed in liberty and freedom, who are undermining  it each day. Oh how I would love to have folks sing about freedom again…only this time understanding that it is God-given.  Both the Republicans and Democrats continue to expand and grow our government which enslaves us more and more.  I believe it was Dennis Prager who stated, “The bigger the Government, the smaller the citizen.”  This song is dedicated to all of those representatives who preach liberty and conservatism  but vote in socialist policies.  Recently, in the news,we hear of a not so wealthy tea party candidate, David Brat,  defeating a wealthy progressive.  It sort of renews hope  again doesn’t it? I hope you enjoy my simple song. 🙂

 

 

An Obituary printed in the London Times…..Absolutely Dead Brilliant!!

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

– Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
– Why the early bird gets the worm;
– Life isn’t always fair;
– And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
– I Know My Rights
– I Want It Now
– Someone Else Is To Blame
– I’m A Victim
– Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.