"Sort"

Sometimes the gates were hard to swing,

Got stuck there in the mud,

Sometimes you’d push and even swear,

They’d slam shut with a thud.

Dad with a sortin’ whip he’d call,

Pass and catch and pass,

And in the hectic barn hallway,

You’d best be movin’ fast.

Crossbred snorty cattle,

Some were spoilin’ for a fight,

Some we’d just unloaded,

Been travelin’ all night.

And stressed and stirred and nervous,

And most were wild and mean,

Alert to every move they made,

To get the sort done clean.

Life is like that alley way,

With choices we must sort,

Get the right gates open,

And try not to fall short.

And when it’s wild and stressful,

We don’t let ourselves get stuck,

Steadily keep movin’,

In spite of every buck.

And soon the right gate opens,

And clearly it’s the way,

To what God has in store for us,

And all He has to say.

Just one old ranching lesson,

Workin’ cattle with my Dad,

Rememberin’ what matters,

From those old times we had.

“There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.” (1 Corinthians 16:9, NLT)

Paul speaks of God opening doors for him. He says there is a wide open door to do a great work, and it’s worth considering that this was a God-given pattern for discerning God’s direction. What opportunities are presenting themselves to you? What doors appear to be opening? What doors are closing? When sorting through the various options for going forward it pays to do spiritual inventory and discern if what you’re choosing lines up with where God wants you to go. If you have any doubt about it you night consider calling on your pastor or other trusted spiritual friend to coach you. Clearly seeing the open door, and just as clearly seeing the one that is closed or closing, is true discernment. We need it.

Lord, help us discern what you You want us to do and also delete, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.