"Whisper"

The whisper that horse needed,

Got louder than I planned,

‘Cause he was actin’ broncy,

Like one a cowboy fanned.

And I was just a-tryin’,

To get him to behave,

Get it done the right way,

And my own feelings save.

‘Bout how to handle ponies,

And get ‘em started right,

Not too darn much pressure,

And avoid an awful fight.

Most of the time I do it,

Without a lot of stress,

Get ‘em to cooperate,

And finding more is less.

But this time guess I lost it,

Reacted much too strong,

This young horse could feel it,

And if I’d kept on long,

I’d have lost a lot of progress,

And suffered a set-back,

Might have taken quite awhile,

To get us both on track.

Not unlike with people,

That should be handled right,

Not so reactionary,

Or sportin’ for a fight.

But patient and on purpose,

With an eye for what’s ahead,

Adjusting down the volume,

When something must be said.

The Good Lord says He’ll help us,

To let our words be few,

But say more when we say ‘em,

Along with what we do.

Sow the seeds of mercy,

Build up a lot of trust,

Stay steady and be faithful,

For both are quite a must.

For the partnership to flourish,

And the job to be well-done,

For everyone to finish,

And the race to be well-run.

So take a little lesson,

When the whisper gets too loud,

Gear it down and breathe a prayer,

You’ll be different from the crowd.

“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare…” (Proverbs 15:1, NLT)

Gentle answers are a good thing, as necessary in gentling a horse as they are with people. Gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and when He controls the words we say and the emotions that motivate them we will be getting things right more times than not. But it is challenging not to react when things don’t go our way. James tells us if we claim closeness with God but don’t control our tongues, all is in vain. The author of Proverbs, in most cases Solomon, claimed that the tongue carried the power of life or death. Strong claims, but true. In our noisy, argumentative world, a gentle answer is needed.

Lord, help us with what we say, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.