"This Land"

I loped along the grasslands,

And wondered ‘bout the time,

When all those tribes of horsemen,

Galloped here so fine.

Chasing those old bison,

And warring like they did,

Chiefs owned a thousand horses,

Unless they were outbid.

I wondered ‘bout the cowboys,

Who drove along this way,

Herding Texas cattle,

To railheads for their pay.

And how in that brief history,

So much of culture grown,

Can’t think about our country,

Without those punchers known.

I wondered ‘bout the settlers,

And all those families who,

Crossed these broad expanses,

In wagons their teams drew.

And all the things they suffered,

To find land of their own,

The many ways they sacrificed,

To make this their own home.

I think of all the time passed,

Of where we are right now,

People crammed in cities,

But divided up somehow.

I pray we can recover,

A sense of love and life,

Heal what has destroyed us,

And put aside our strife.

Remember we’re all equal,

Whatever shade our skin,

And God has guaranteed it,

To us and all our kin.

Let’s ask the God of heaven,

To come, restore our land,

Justice, peace, and mercy,

And freedom’s spirit fanned.

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view…” (2 Cor. 5:16, NLT)

How do you evaluate others? Good question, isn’t it? In other words, how do you appraise their value? Some devalue human beings based on cultural, racial, or material bias. No doubt about it. If a law is passed to prevent you from mistreating someone based on this bias, it may impede your behavior but it will not change your heart. What will? God! God’s Holy Spirit! God’s saving, transforming grace offered through Jesus Christ! This is the only hope for true heartfelt change. When this happens to us, we can never more devalue someone Jesus died to save. So be it, in Jesus’ name.

Lord, help us stop evaluating others from a human point of view, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.