"Corner Pen"

He was standing in a corner pen,

Mud-crusted mane and tail,

Waiting to go through the ring,

At that old auction sale.

Nobody knew where he came from,

Abandoned in the pen,

I whistled and he raised his head,

I knew right there and then,

I caught his eye and saw a horse,

Whose saddle marks were plain,

I led him to my trailer,

Said Dan will be your name.

A real dark cherry bay he was,

Though shaggy and  unkept,

I asked the Lord to bless him,

That night before I slept.

His ribs filled out, hind-quarters strong,

His chest grew broad and deep,

And in not so very long,

He made a horse I’d keep.

Teeth showed age but what the heck,

He really watched a cow,

Could track and rein and bend around,

And read my mind somehow.

We doctored many yearlings,

We dragged calves to the fire,

And when the grandkids came to ride,

He’d go and never tire.

Ten good years he gave me,

I saw his old knee swell,

No telling just how old he was,

And when he finally fell,

I buried him down by the creek,

Where he often liked to graze,

Living out there peacefully,

His last retirement days.

I often think of that old horse,

A decade that I rode,

All he gave to me and mine,

The cowboy skill he showed.

Forgotten and discarded,

In a corner pen somewhere,

Finished but for one last chance,

I’m glad I found him there.

Reminds me of myself a lot,

And lots of folks like me,

Jesus found us just in time,

Took ownership you see.

And though nobody saw our worth,

The Savior surely did,

Laid down His life on this old earth,

When no one else would bid.

“Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.” (Ephesians 1:4, NLT)

We were chosen by God before He ever created the world. Think about that! As far back as we can imagine, the Lord picked us to be holy and without fault in His eyes. This is amazing because our faults are aplenty! But He looked past all that was wrong with us knowing what we could become with His grace. The good news is that He did not choose some and reject others. He chose all of us, and because of this grand truth, we are enabled to choose Him. It’s good news indeed!

Lord, help us to cooperate with Your choice of us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, used by permission.