A Note for You and Me

 

 

If you could see the way I see

Wouldn’t you think the way I think?

And if you could feel the way I do

Would you not sink the way I sink?

 

Probably so and probably not

Seeing we are wired differently,

Hence the caution we should heed

When appraising judgmentally.

 

We are quick to grab the big stick

To be the jury and the judge

And the sentence we wish for another

Is akin to settling a grudge.

 

We quote the Bible extensively

Highlighting the old covenant law

Yet when we are in the same predicament

We regard that judgment flawed.

 

We live in momentous times

As a friend of mine would say

And it would behoove us, he would add,

To understand another’s way.

 

Understanding is not condoning

But an appreciation for the facts

And a realization that words are damaging

And can never be taken back.

 

Sometimes though we see alike

There are still many discrepancies

And these sometimes, subtle differences

Distinguish you from me.

 

Some have had a horrendous life

Not nearly the kind that we have had

And though this does not give them license,

There are reasons why they are bad.

 

I thank God for my upbringing

And for the parents that I have had,

That upbringing has made the difference

Hence, thank you Mum and Dad!

 

Many have not been as fortunate

To have had a similar past

And the experiences they have experienced

Would leave us all aghast.

 

Each one of us is a product

Of the many experiences we have had

And the lessons we learnt or did not learn

Will augur for good or bad.

 

Again I will quote my friend

That we live in momentous times

And it behooves us who can godly think

To spiritually train our minds.

 

 

There will be many a behaviour

That will be difficult to understand

But final judgment must be left to God

For that is His determined plan.

 

Help where we can with understanding

Using both reprimand and praise

And appreciating our own shortcomings

Always our own standards raise.

 

Cognizant of the reality check

That "there go I but for the grace of God"

And for whatever good may be found in us

It is God we must applaud.

 

Stewart Russell © January 2020

 

Drawing The Line

 

I remember an early Art lesson

It was about drawing lines,

They had to be straight and accurate

No ruler was used at that time.

The line was to be drawn at once

No ruler, yet by the rule,

And of course, back in those days

Teachers were not playing school.

Standards were strictly kept

Not much room for meandering,

The rule-book was the line of demarcation

With scarcely an excuse for overstepping. 

  

The lines were not blurred like today

They were kept with a steady hand,

However, somewhere along the way

We have misplaced that plan.

Instead, little today is absolute

There’s no absolute right or wrong,

I mean even at the highest level...

No disrespect to the Crown.

Even there the lines have been redrawn

Time and time again

Via legal calisthenics and manipulation,

From the reasonable to the insane.

Lines once steady and sharp

Are now painfully blurred,

How we could vacillate so unashamedly

Is nothing short of the absurd!

I fear for our very young children,

What will become of them?

What kind of world will they exist in

Given the extent of our problem?

What will be their right and wrong?

Will they even have a conscience?

Will they accept the biblical standards

Or walk the road of least resistance?

Will we continue to blur the lines

Even in the church

And misguide them along a perilous path

Blindfolded and precariously perched?

Or will we show them the line again

As drawn in God’s Holy Word

And describe to them the benefits therein

And ensure that they have heard...

By drawing that line for ourselves

And setting an example thereby

So that our children and children’s children

Would on that same line rely?

No overstepping of the line,

No navigating too near the edge

Less a slip or accidental misjudgment

Snatches them from the ledge.

The contrary waves are raging

They have encroached beyond the shore,

Now the tsunami is threatening

The lines are there no more.

Stewart Russell © November 2019

How Things Change!

I grew up hearing

About place and time

Today, however

So much is out of line

In my late teens

If I quarrelled with Dad

That would be a slap

Quarrelling was bad

I was working then

I had a job

Thinking about it now

Makes my head throb

Sunday school was a must

You dare not ask

Once it was Sunday

That was your task

Sunday morning

And in the evening too

It was Sunday school

For the entire crew

We had home chores

That had to be done

No excuses accepted

From daughter or son

Wares to be washed

House to be swept

Yard fire-bright

Or lashes you’d get

Home by a certain time

School or church

From such instructions

Don’t dare shirk

My favourite spot

Was the front step

Any further than that

And I could be wet

  

With permission sought

The limit was the gap

Any infraction

Could incur a slap

No favouritism

Among the siblings

All had a bit

In what was sharing

If one was out

His share was kept

Another demand

That had to be met

Quarrels were short

Disputes brief

They were not condoned

By either chief

Mother or Father

It did not matter

Cross this line

And there was bother

Training was at home

Learning at school

One was not allowed

To grow up a fool

School was a must

Licks like peas

Two biscuits and milk

Without any cheese

We could not chime in

When adults fret

Another bad decision

We would regret

Respect your elders

Always be polite

Stay away from trouble

Definitely no fights

No bare back

Or whistling at home

Not in this house

You’re not yet grown

Four fast asleep

In one single bed

In many cases

Just front house and shed

Kitchen and toilet

Out in the yard

And if it’s raining

Things could be hard

Plant something

And let it grow

In this way

The less you owe

Games fee a penny

Hard to come by

But it was a must

One dare not defy

With your teachers

Do not mess

Whether at school

Or holiday recess

Manners maketh man

We were often told

Slip up at anytime

And licks you’d hold

In a child’s back

You’d find his ears

Beat the back

And the child will hear

An oft-made remark

From a teacher I knew

But most back then

Held that view

But things changed

Nothing so now

How it got to this stage

I’ll tell you how

The right to do

As everyone pleases

No matter who

That one squeezes

A crime is only if

You don’t get caught

A few in jail

But outside a lot

Different stokes

For different folks

Once known standards

Are now jokes

Roles are reversed

It’s like a curse

In very deep waters

We are immersed

How to get out?

Only God knows

The fact we ignore Him

Causes these woes

It’ll only get worse

Yes this curse

There’ll be no reverse

Till we put Him first

Stewart Russell © February 2019