"Comin' or Goin'"

 Are you comin’ or are you goin’,

Sometimes we just don’t know,

My hurrier can go too fast,

My behinder gets too slow.

I remember those old westerns,

Galloped everywhere they went,

Used to frustrate my old daddy,

‘Cause of all the time we spent,

A horseback tendin’ cattle,

And, yes, we’d sometimes run,

But not a chance, just all the time,

To try to get things done.

You had to learn to pace yourself,

There was walk and trot and lope,

Gallop all the time, you say?

No way, never, nope.

Is your pace too frenetic,

Always in a hurry, see,

You might want to consider,

Another way to be.

Not talkin’ ‘bout the lazy,

Who always have to rest,

Before they have done something,

And never give their best.

I’m speaking to the workers,

Who rise each day and go,

And no one ever tells them,

They’re movin’ way too slow.

The end of life is coming,

And if we’ve hurried through,

It might just be we missed a lot,

God wants us all to do.

 And that’s to just be thankful,

To breathe the air and live,

And not be always driven,

To do more and to give,

What really is a gift to us,

That we must learn to spend,

Just sayin’ if we slow it down,

We might learn in the end,

That life was more abundant,

And closer to God’s will,

If we create some spaces,

That only He can fill.

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days…” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NLT)

Many of us have such a strong work ethic that we equate busy-ness with God’s will. But such is not always the case. Think of the times the scriptures tell us Jesus withdrew with His disciples to rest and pray. If God’s Son needed to pace Himself, how much more do we? Paul counseled the Ephesian Christians to live wisely and maximize their opportunities. But was the way to do this simply to be busy? No, in fact the next verses told them and tell us to be filled with the Spirit. Being filled means being led and controlled by the Spirit. If that’s true, it means that we will not be controlled by our schedule and responsibilities, real or imagined. Taking our cue from God’s Spirit will change the way we work and will make us more productive in the long run. Most of us need help with this.

Lord, help us to create space for You to fill, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Martin Grelle, used by permission. Thanks, Martin, and God bless you.