"Winner"

No one knew it when the words were said,

Fact the man who said them now is dead.

He left this world a long time ago,

But the words he spoke live on, you know.

He took his boy up in his arms,

Said he’d protect him from all harms,

And told him he’d grow up to be,

A buckle winner, don’t you see.

And from the first, that boy, he knew,

That what his daddy said was true,

Those words are what all boys should hear,

And he heard them whispered in his ear.

He told him you have what it takes,

It won’t depend on lucky breaks.

But work that’s hard and practice, too,

To not give up, keep going through.

The things that build experience,

And for all winners ever since,

The first one strapped a saddle on,

And rode till all the buck was gone.

But when you pay the price, you see,

A winner is what you will be,

God has blessed you with enough,

Of what it takes to ride the rough.

And like so many times it seems,

The buck-offs tested all his dreams,

But finally the hard work paid,

In Vegas he the Finals made.

He won the gold, went all the way,

Rode all ten broncs, worked out okay.

And from the stands with streaming eyes,

The old man watched him win the prize.

The man got sick, the boy got strong,

The bond between them decades long,

Then they got close to last good-bye,

He’d get there, least said he would try.

No one heard the words he said,

To his daddy almost dead,

But later on when he was asked,

He said what he had heard long past.

You’re going to the Savior’s arms,

Where no more fear or pain alarms,

You have everything it takes,

God’s grace has covered all mistakes.

And now he says to his own son,

When he dreams of buckles won,

You’re a winner, God has blessed,

Just go out there and do your best.

The words we say are just like seed,

Containing harvest, dreams to feed,

For life or death they will come true,

God, grace us so that we win, too.

“The tongue can bring life or death…” (Proverbs 19:21, NLT)

The words we speak have great power, but this should not make us paranoid about what we say. In fact, it’s not always true that what you say is what you get. But, what we habitually say has greater impact. What positives are you saying to yourself or others that are making their lives better? What negatives? How much difference could we make in the right direction if we were more intentional about spreading life with our words, instead of death? If they could bottle all the words we speak in a day and then pour the bottle’s contents over our heads (and hearts) that night, would those words hurt or heal us? Would they make us dirty or clean? It’s something to think about.

Lord, help us speak words of life, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Don Weller, donweller.com. Use by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.