"Thicket"

I slipped into the thicket,

Wearing gloves and chaps,

I wasn’t taking chances,

With those cattle and their laps.

There somewhere was a mother,

Who had her baby hid,

And we just couldn’t find her,

No matter what we did.

We searched the entire pasture,

Just one place left to look,

But durned if that old thicket,

Could keep your feelings shook.

‘Cause every branch would stick you,

And easy to ride past,

Any cow that’s hiding,

Or calf ‘neath bushes cast.

So here we go, we’re ready,

Creepin’ through the brush,

Gotta do it quietly,

Can’t be in a rush.

I guess It covered maybe,

A hundred acres large,

But then you’d find a cow path,

Or some deer run to charge.

But winding through that thicket,

It occurred to me,

That life’s like a winding search,

For all of us, you see.

And on that journey’s pathway,

There’s stickers and there’s thorns,

And there are those along the way,

That better judgment warns,

You’d best just ride on by ‘em,

Leave well enough alone,

‘Cause they’ll hurt you in the thicket,

And wound you to the bone.

Yes, look, but keep on going,

Let nothing stop you there,

You’re just there on assignment,

God knows when and where,

You’ll move into the open,

And hopefully you’ve found,

What you need to exit,

So listen for the sound,

Of that little calf a-calling,

And the mother’s soft reply,

And finally you’ll find ‘em,

And bring ‘em back, no lie.

Come on out the thicket,

None the worse for wear,

Bring the calf and Mama,

That were hiding there.

Best thing ‘bout that thicket,

Is when you’re through and done,

Navigate on through it,

Until the race you’ve won.

“But let us who live in the light be clearheaded…” (1 Thess. 5:8, NLT)

Navigating life can be challenging, to say the least, not unlike a thorny thicket. How do we pass through unscathed? We actually won’t. Be clearheaded about it. You don’t go far without suffering pain, attacks, persecution, or trouble. These things cannot be faithed away. But they can be endured and overcome. Special promises are made to overcomers, and the implication is clear- there is a lot to overcome, for sure! But we can. How? Be trusting in God to help us every step of the way, and keep on going, no matter what! There’s always something to learn or find in the thicket, but God promises to bring us through to open pasture. Keep on. You can. By God’s grace you will.

Lord, help us get through the thickets of life with victory, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bruce Greene, brucegreenart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bruce, and God bless you.