Saturday, January 16, 2016

The Town of Whiney-Oaks

Let's face it..those of us who live in the Midwestern section of the United States of America are probably complaining about the cold right now. And it IS cold. Tonight's temperature will be somewhere around -8 degrees F here in Omaha, NE. Burr. And some of my Australian/New Zealand friends are probably complaining about the heat. Go figure. Isn't it human nature to complain about the weather?


The Town of Whiney-Oaks

 
In the town of Whiney-Oaks,
Lives a passel of whiney folks,
They gripe, complain all day long,
Singing their silly, whiney-day song.

“When it’s cold, we want it hot.
When it’s rainy, we want it not.
When it’s sunny, it shouldn’t be.
We love to live in our misery.”

In the midst of these whiney blokes,
Lives a wee boy of different strokes.
Perry-boy likes all sorts of weather:
The rain, the sleet, it doesn’t matter.

When others gripe about the snow,
This dear, young lad will gladly go
Outside to skate and to play,
Having fun on a wintry day.

Not once will Perry-boy ever sing,
That song of woe in the spring,
While others whine about pollen from flowers,
He will sniff them for hours and hours.

On a hot, summery noon,
When other Whinies begin to swoon,
Perry-boy laughs with utter glee,
Swimming and biking joyfully.

Colorful leaves falling from the tree,
Makes his heart sing quite merrily,
While others gripe about the work,
Which most Whinies would rather shirk.

“Perry-boy,” others like to say,
“How can you enjoy this lousy day?
Come join us in our poor misery,
For this is the way it ought to be.”

“No, dear Whinies, I cannot be,
This thing you are asking of me,
I can’t sing your sad, silly song,
Not now nor my whole-life long.”

“Boy, what makes you not want to sing,
The song that means most everything,
To all the other Whiney blokes,
Who live in the town of Whiney-Oaks?”

“Folks, I’m glad you truly want to know,
The secret I found some time ago,
In the holy Book of books indeed,
There is a truth that has set me free.

You see, today I choose to rejoice,
It is truly a much finer choice,
To know that this is a special day,
God has given me to enjoy and play.

For today, I choose what is true,
What is noble for me and for you.
I choose on this day to gladly see,
What is pure and ever-so lovely.

My life isn’t always so grand,
Some days don’t go the way that I plan.
Yet, when I dwell on my Lord’s grace,
He gives me strength for the trials I face.

When I choose to thank the Lord,
To rejoice in His faithful Word,
It helps me to open my heart and see
That each day is a blessing to me.”

All the Whinies began shaking their heads,
Not quite understanding all he had said,
Each one went his whiney-filled way,
Ready to face another whiney-filled day.

Perry-boy felt a tug on his shirt,
Turning he smiled at Peggy and Burt,
Two little Whinies from Perry-boy’s school,
They thought what he said was ever-so cool.

“Can we play?” they hopefully asked,
“We don’t want to whine like in the past,
We want to rejoice in the Lord above,
We want to feel His grace and His love.”

Perry-boy was grinning from ear to ear,
Thankful for his new friends standing there,
“The three of us is a good start!”
He sang with an ever-grateful heart.

Over the years as the word was spread,
Others chose to live by what he had said,
Enjoying the season whether cold or hot,
Praising the Lord in good times and not.

The truth of God’s Word is plain to see,
Rejoice in Him always, and always you’ll be
Content no matter what life brings your way,
Enjoying the best in each blessed day.

 
Reflection Page:  “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”  Philippians 4:4-8 (NIV)

 

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