"Hard Times"

Funny how I often miss,

The hard times of my past,

Thought when I was going through,

Was not sure I could last.

Remember sweaty summers,

A stackin’ up that hay,

Rake and bale and pick it up,

From dawn till end of day.

And I thought I would die of heat,

Or maybe thirst would kill,

But, Lord knows what I wouldn’t give,

To smell that fresh-cut, still.

I think of freezin’ cold outside,

And feedin’ those old steers,

And how they’d come a runnin’,

I remember well those years.

And I thought I might freeze to death,

With all that wind and sleet,

You couldn’t feel your nose or face,

Your fingers or your feet.

But thinkin’ back to those old times,

And then home to the fire,

I feel a homesick feeling,

And wish for that desire.

And strappin’ on my saddle,

On a horse that you could trust,

And ridin’ hard to catch a bull,

‘Cause Dad had said we must.

I was scared he’d kill me,

I mean the bull, not Dad,

But somehow we would get it done,

Those cowboy times we had.

Reminds me of life’s trials,

And how the Good Lord knows,

What it takes to teach us,

To us His grace He shows.

And lesson after lesson,

It’s in the hard times, see,

We learn what can’t be stolen,

So we can finally be,

What the Lord intended,

And the character He gives,

He uses every trial,

To show us how to live.

So the bad times were the good times,

At least that’s what came out,

We value how we learned it,

And that’s what life’s about.

“So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world…” (1 Peter 1:7, NLT)

All of this life is characterized by trials. They are usd by God to refine our faith and build godly character. While they are happening we wonder if we will survive. But when we look back, we know we’ve learned valuable life lessons that can never be stolen from us. Thank God for His faithfulness, through every challenge and uphill climb. Eternity will show the true value of all we have been through. Praise the Lord!

Lord, keep us steady through every trial, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, clarkkelleyprice.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Clark, and God bless you.