"I Watched"
I watched the sad frown that wouldn’t go,
As the life he loved was loaded up and hauled away.
He leaned against the fence that grandaddy and he built,
And then he saw I frowned, too.
My childhood pastures gone like the wind,
Hard-earned ground, lush and green,
Honeysuckle hedgerows and buzzing bees,
And every blade a friend.
The bank said no when he wanted a yes,
The cattle sold months early and all was lost,
Barns and land and house and all,
And then we moved to town.
But he’d never stay, no sir,
Somehow in one short year found a way,
To move back to the country and breathe again,
A better place and way and time,
With cows and horses and grass-filled space,
Mama called it heaven’s gate,
Because it felt like just that,
And the blessing they wished for.
I watched his sad frown that wouldn’t go,
But it did, replaced by his soul’s smile,
He leaned against the fence that he and I built,
And then he saw I smiled, too.
Yessir, I smiled, too.
“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done…” (Philippians 3:7, NLT)
Paul wrote about gain and loss, value and appraisal. Someone has said, “Never trust a man who is unacquainted with loss. “ Why? Someone who’s never lost anything is challenged to appreciate the value of keeping it. Paul had an impressive set of credentials and accomplishments, including obeying God’s law without fault. Yet in view of what Christ did to procure his salvation, Paul counted it all as worthless. When we are blessed, whether materially, relationally, or spiritually, it’s good to appreciate the blessing. But all that we have is discounted when compared to the incomparable value of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross and what the gift of salvation does for us. It is in the light of the ultimate gift that all other gifts are accurately appraised.
Lord, help us realize there is nothing more valuable than knowing You, in Jesus’ name.
Art by Mikel Donahue, used by permission. Thanks, Mikel, and God bless you.