"Old Pony"

When they said he had some soreness,

I wasn’t too concerned,

Though he was no young horse,

At least this much I’ve learned,

That sometimes an old pony,

Just needs some room to play,

And if you give it to him,

He’ll prob’ly be okay.

So I turned him with the cattle,

Gave him lots of space,

Made sure of his nutrition,

He seemed to like the place.

And gentle as he is and broke,

When I shake that bucket now,

He’s comin’ at a dead run,

And in front of him the cows.

He’s got both his ears pinned back,

He herds ‘em in the pen,

Might buck around a little,

Before he comes on in.

And he’ll do what I ask him,

I ‘spect for quite awhile,

I’m glad I got this pony,

I really like his style.

Sometimes I think us older ones,

Though longer in the tooth,

We might have some soreness,

If you want to know the truth,

But if they hem us up too much,

You see it just gets worse,

Give us space and you will see,

We’ll procrastinate the hearse.

Still kickin’ by the grace of God,

Not hardly finished yet,

Lots of things we still might do,

Just hide and watch, you bet.

So let that pony do his job,

And don’t give up, you see,

God knows when his time is up,

And how strong he still can be.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” ( Timothy 4:7, NLT)

It’s a strong testimony when you’re about through with the journey and can say you have remained faithful. It’s not that Paul was a perfect man. I’m sure he still had his blunders like all of us. But he just didn’t quit. And in the end that’s what counts. He kept on going and doing and working and witnessing to the end. We all have to face life’s obstacles, heartbreaks, and disappointments. But God’s grace is there to fuel our faithfulness and claim His. To the end, in Jesus’ name.

Lord, help us live faithfully until You call us home, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mikel Donahue, used by permission. Thanks, Mikel, and God bless you.