A Great Idea

 

I had a great idea

At least I thought so,

I put it into action

All systems were on go.

It was a good idea

Yet void of thought

And I didn’t see the trouble

With which it was fraught.

I was raised in the church

That is all I knew,

 I was a singer and teacher

And an evangelist too.

 

But I became jealous

Yes, you wouldn’t believe

Of the aspiring converts

And how they were received.

It was like a honeymoon

What a fuss was made!

Like a baby in the family

You would be amazed.

And when they testified

I said to myself

Their experience was rich

Unlike my spiritual health.

They talked of their past

And from where God brought them,

I was always in the church

And therein was my problem.

I had no experiences

About which I could talk,

They were way ahead of me

For sure regarding their walk.

Here I was all these years

With nothing to boast about,

They had just come in

And already they could shout.

 

Which of us was the babe?

I began to wonder,

It appeared to be me

So I had much to ponder.

If I had similar experiences

I would be just like them,

Hence my great idea

That was replete with problems.

They came in with scars

Salvation could not remove,

That they went through hard times

Their testimonies did prove.

I was spared such

Having been always in church,

Why change all that

And be left in the lurch?

A dear friend of mine

Showed to me this reality

And as a result

I am sharing this testimony.

One’s past is a reminder

Regarding where he has been,

Be satisfied with the fact

That you have been redeemed.

Don’t compare testimonies

Or even progress reports,

Thank God for the fact

That He is your support.

Be grateful for the hardships

God has protected you from

And march to His timing

And not another's drum.

 

Be careful regarding the ideas

Which bombard your head,

Keep focus on Jesus

And follow him instead.

  

I’ve missed some of these guys

They are no longer around

And the frequency of such

Exponentially abounds.

Where are they to day

In their spiritual experience?

I have absolutely no idea

Ever since their absence.

But what I do know

Is that God has kept me thus far,

His testimony is true

And none comes on par.

The best experiences to get

Are those that are in Christ,

This is my current idea

And it has truly sufficed.

I had a great idea

At first I thought so

But after sound advice

That idea had to go.

Stewart Russell © April 2019