"Kicked"

I’ve been bucked off of horses,

And had ‘em step on me,

Fell right with ‘em to the ground,

And been bumped hard, you see.

But in all of my many years,

I never got a kick,

I’ve tried hard to be careful,

And move back from ‘em quick.

My daddy used to tell me,

Let that horse know you’re there,

Then you will not startle him,

The safer way to fare.

And that advice has served me well,

I always let ‘em know,

That I’m near and comin’ round,

To keep ‘em calm, say whoa.

Sometimes it’s just reaction,

When someone kicks at you,

Not making an excuse for them,

But often it is true.

That when they kick and hurt you,

It’s ‘cause of all this fear,

Trying to protect themselves,

From a threat they think is near.

Should we kick back because they kick,

No, at least we try,

Not to give them what they gave,

No matter reasons  why.

Be careful to forgive them,

But have some boundaries, too,

And if they like to kick a lot,

Distance might be good for you.

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9, NLT)

In this contentious, argumentative world it’s sometimes hard not to be caught up in retaliatory language. It’s one thing to disagree with someone, but it’s quite another to become insulting and harsh. This scripture and others like it remind us to respond by the Spirit rather than react out of selfish anger and defense. When the Spirit controls our language we bless instead of curse. And that is the essence of the divine calling. Receive the blessing, then share it. We operate out of grace and not our own need to prove our point and to be right.

Lord, help us to return insults with blessing, in Jesus’ name

Art by Mary Ross Buchholz, used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless you.