"Gold"

There’s a bad one in the bushes,

And we can’t just let him go,

We had gathered all the cattle,

Now for remnants left, you know.

And one here, then one yonder,

We roped and tied ‘em all,

Then we saw this other,

Hadn’t seen him since last fall.

He was bigger than the others,

He was maybe five years old,

Cross-bred steer from Pascagoula,

Quick as a deer when sold.

So we knew that we must get him,

Though the gettin’ would be tough,

Didn’t help that he was hiding,

In a thick place that was rough.

But we made our horses do it,

And we crept right through the brush,

And we could hear him moving,

Then he took off with a rush.

His tail was like a blowing flag,

His head was in the air,

And then came out the other side,

‘Fore we knew that he got there.

But we were right behind him,

A spurrin’ in pursuit,

One of us would slip a coil,

And lace up that old brute.

And sure enough my brother,

On the bay horse we called Ben,

Lined out right behind him,

And sailed his loop and then,

Caught him ‘round those little horns,

And turned him like he should,

And then I snagged a back leg,

And did the best I could.

We got him on the trailer,

He fought and dodged awhile,

But didn’t do him any good,

When Daddy saw, he smiled.

He said I’m glad y’all got him,

Our neighbor will be pleased,

He’s been lookin’ for this outlaw,

For two years since he leased,

Next door to our pasture,

That hundred-acre tract,

Turned out a dozen yearlings,

Could not get this one back.

I looked right at my brother,

And he looked back at me,

All the bruises, bloody scratches,

From that thicket plain to see.

We had done it for our neighbor,

Though concerned about our Dad,

He said go get the last ones,

No matter if they’re bad.

And really there was nothin’,

Either one of us could say,

‘Cept okay, glad we caught him,

And made our neighbor’s day.

The Good Book says we have a rule,

They call it gold, so true,

Do unto all the others,

What they should do for you.

This time, yes, we did it,

But didn’t know it on that day,

That Pascagoula crazy,

Helped us do it anyway.

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you…” (Luke 6:31, NLT)

Unless we are totally disillusioned and have little or no positive expectations, we are surprised when others mistreat us. What happens when they do? Often we react as if we don’t even know the Lord. Anger, revenge, and retaliation all come to mind. But Jesus set a new standard for His followers, which was an ancient tradition based on the Old Testament. Instead of reacting with hostility, Jesus called us to love even our enemies, pray for those who hurt us, and turn the other cheek. It’s in that context that he quotes what we have come to call the “golden rule,” quoted above. Is it really possible to live this way? Only if the Holy Spirit controls and fills our lives. It is Jesus living through us that makes the golden rule a reality. His grace makes the difference, for us and for those who hurt us.

Lord, help us to respond by Your Spirit to all who mistreat us, in Jesus' name.

Art by Mike Capron, used by permission. Thanks, Mike, and God bless you.