"To the Second"

An eight-second ride in the rodeo,

May win you a gold buckle prize,

But life’s not that way, no matter their say,

Now hear the truth and no lies.

To stop and think and take a breath,

What most of us should do,

Try to slow down the next go round,

And drink in God’s word true.

The pace of life keeps speeding up,

Appointments are the rule,

Get scheduled in, come thick or thin,

And be on time or you’ll,

Miss the slot they’ve given you,

And you won’t find much grace,

The next in line will take your time,

And you will lose this race.

‘Cause it’s right down to the second,

Time measured on our phone,

It’s quickly gone, from dawn to dawn,

Much faster than we’ve known.

What if life was measured,

In seasons and by days,

And not the tick, of seconds quick,

But with a slower pace.

Like it is out in the country,

On outfits large and small,

It’s seasons there and how they care,

Summer, winter, spring and fall.

And special days like gathers,

Or when it’s brandin’ time,

Seeds sown in, a harvest then,

The flow of days so fine.

There’s beauty in the rhythm,

Of the changes in the sky,

No man’s control, can get ahold,

Nor should we even try.

But make peace and enjoy it,

Endure when it’s unkind,

But find a way, starting today,

From busy-ness unwind.

And the best ones find the answer,

To the days and all their flow,

Is surrender to the splendor,

The Creator for to know.

The smile of the Creator,

Is found when Christ is King,

The creation, incarnation,

Brings His peace to everything.

So, if the schedule drives you,

With stress up to the brink,

Stop and pray, the only way,

He renews all that we think.

“…Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together…” (Colossians 1:16-17, NLT)

The creation reflects the Creator, and leads us to stop and consider His intentions. And everything is intentional, no doubt, and will ultimately lead to the worship of Jesus as Lord. He holds it all together, and if this is true, He can hold us together, too. That’s just it, isn’t it? Our lives, torn by busy-ness and stress, heart-break and tragedy, sin and loss, are disintegrating. But when we turn to Jesus, He integrates all the parts and gives us His integrity! It’s a beautiful work of grace that inspires change and and instills peace. It’s the only way our days come together and make sense. It is the influence of heaven that dispels the chaos and establishes God’s order. It is the presence of heaven on the way to heaven that makes it so.

Lord, hold our lives together, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Jess Lee, used by permission. Thanks, Jess, and God bless you.