"Worth It"

If you’re lookin’ for the easy,

This will not be your game,

‘Cause the requirements are exacting,

And by any other name,

It’s been said you want to suffer,

If a cowboy you will be,

And those who have been at it,

For very long you see,

Can show you bones once broken,

And bent and stiffened joints,

And all because the bovine,

Taught herding’s finer points.

And then there are the horses,

Some cold-backed, fresh and snorty,

Will leave you with a long walk home,

From that way off back forty.

The ice and snow and muddy,

The rainless days and heat,

The times the wind is blowing hard,

Can’t feel your ears and feet.

They don’t give shiny buckles,

For gettin’ up ‘fore day,

And workin’ till the sky is dark,

To make sure stock’s okay.

But in spite of all the trouble,

And the things that give us pause,

Cowboys don’t trade places,

With folks in town because,

They love the life they’re livin’,

It outweighs all the grief,

Somethin’ ‘bout the cowboy way,

And lookin’ after beef.

 Is what they think they’re born for,

Wouldn’t have another way,

As long as cows need tendin’,

He’ll be there everyday.

It’s not unlike the pilgrim,

Who’s called to serve the Lord,

He knows that he must suffer,

And is rarely ever bored.

But joy outweighs the challenge,

And he knows he’s born to be,

In a serving lifestyle,

With costly grace you see.

And he would not trade places,

Or go back whence he came,

And that’s because he lives for,

The Name above all names.

Does he like to suffer,

No more than that cowhand,

But he will do whate’er it takes,

To spread throughout the land,

The Good News of the Savior,

The message of God’s love,

The Christ who died on Calvary,

And the blessing from above.

So ask ‘em if it’s worth it,

And they will answer clear,

No way to say how great it is,

It’s why He put us here.

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs…” (Mt. 5:10, NLT)

When we do the right thing we expect people to appreciate it. And they ought to, all right. But sometimes they don’t. And sometimes they even give you a hard time about it. Jesus said that when this happens we should realize that it’s just going to be that way, and we can count on God’s blessing. Notice Jesus does not say that God will show up and defend us. He just says God will bless us. This says to me that He will not always prevent the persecution, but He will always be there to bring us through it. And when He does, we experience a deeper grace than ever before. The lessons we learn from suffering cannot be stolen from us.

Lord, help us to realize that persecutions will come, but You will bless us, in Jesus’ name.

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