"Daddy's Bell"

When I was just a little boy,

Way out on our ranch,

I asked about that cast iron bell,

That stood under the branch,

Of a big, old ancient oak tree,

As if it’s standing guard,

Alone, a cast-iron sentinel,

Right there in our yard.

I asked my mother, what’s it for,

She said if there’s a fire,

The bell would call the neighbors,

That’s if the need was dire.

So every time I went outside,

I saw that bell and thought,

I sure would like to ring it,

But scared I might get caught.

One time I got my nerve up,

And rang it once or twice,

The wasps had made a big old nest,

Mom doctored me with ice.

When I was in high school,

We lost the old home place,

The horses and the cattle gone,

Dad stumbled in his race.

Dad took down the old bell,

And packed the thing away,

But finally hung it up again,

In a brand-new place to stay.

And through the years when I went home,

Right there I’d always see,

The bell and post and twine to pull,

A waiting there for me.

Fast forward to my Daddy’s death,

I thought about the bell,

I went out there and got it,

And I can gladly tell,

That it holds for me those memories,

Of all those ranching years,

The cowboy way and horseback,

Without regrets and fears.

And when we said good-bye to Dad,

They had an old church bell,

But they had never rung it,

I heard the preacher tell,

One of the men who stood there,

To go and ring the bell,

And that’s exactly what he did,

I knew Dad’s soul was well.

I thought I heard a whisper,

It rose up from within,

It’s time to ring the bell, my son,

Not later, now is when,

If you’ve got a song to sing,

Don’t wait, just sing it now,

And if you have something to say,

Let someone know somehow.

You’ve got a bell, so ring it,

Loud and long and clear,

It’s time for you to bring it,

That’s why I put you here.

When I look out my window,

In Texas’ deep, old heart,

And there I see my Daddy’s bell,

With each sunrise I start,

To thank the Lord for blessing,

His grace to face the day,

Ring the bell, His truth to tell,

And do it, come what may.

“Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days…” (Ephesians 5:16, NLT)

Opportunities come and then they go. We tell ourselves we’ll have another chance, but the older we get the more we realize some never return. This is not meant to be a discouragement, but simply to recognize life’s harsh realities. Many of us have rolled all these makings into a cigarette of regret that we smoke again and again. But a better solution is to realize what it takes to make the most of the next opportunity. How? By being filled with God’s Spirit moment by moment and day by day. Then the odds go up that we recognize the open door and go through it.

Lord, help us maximize, and not miss, the opportunity You give, in Jesus’ name.

Art by JaNeil Anderson, janeilanderson.com. Used by permission. Thanks, JaNeil, and God bless you.