We should face the day with a positive note

The Bible verse, Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” is a great way to start your day. 

In fact, my young bride Stella often greets the day and me with that verse in her sing-song cheery sunshine voice, that not only sets the tone for the day, but gives God the Glory for that moment! And at my weight and age and with the shape our world is in, that cheery thought at break-o-day certainly gives you the boost that is necessary to face the day on a positive note! 

My ol’ granddad, Papa Hop, lived with the philosophy that, even though God gave man free will, He also gave man good sense to help him determine good from bad and the strength to face the day with a glad heart. 

Psalm 118:24 gives weight to that old adage found in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” 

So, as we face the day with the realization that we have the option of setting our own attitudes toward life on a positive or negative note, Psalm 118:24 certainly helps stay on the positive course. 

Throughout my days, I have been blessed to have family and mentors that provided examples of living in a positive manner. 

As my ol’ Daddy would say, “Put a smile on your face, an’ a song in your heart. You are saved by God’s Grace, and from you He will never depart!” 

When I retired from my day job, I ventured into the world of cowboy poetry. I was thankful that my family and mentors had instilled  in me the desire to have a positive attitude and I am here to tell you that this is necessary when you begin to put thoughts and words together. 

This venture showed me that one of God’s gifts to me was writing and reciting these stories of prose and rhyme and I found that a positive attitude sure helped. 

This endeavor enabled my young bride Stella and I to enjoy friendships with countless folks with the same mindset. Shortly after we entered this trail, someone suggested that I might enjoy competing at the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, so I paid my entry fee and jumped right into the fray. 

Sam Jackson is the originator of this venue and his goal was to make fair poets good and good poets better. My first year, the event was held in Montrose, Colorado. This was 2009, just two years after I had embarked upon this adventure. I was green as a gourd but managed to garner a couple of third place finishes. 

The next two years, we attended numerous gatherings and I honed my skill and received some great mentoring from new found friends. 

The 2012 NCPR was in Kanab, Utah and I placed 1st in three of the four divisions and won the All-Around Cowboy Poetry Award that year. “It don’t get no better than that!” I put that bragging part in to show you that many things are possible with a positive outlook on life! 

THIS COWBOYS PRAYER

Good morning Lord! 

Shore looks like a fine day.

Thanks for takin’ the time just to

listen to all I’ve got to say.

Jesus came to die for all our sins

an’ give each of us freedom

from the Devil’s evil work.

 I shore thank You that He come.

Thanks fer providin’ all I need,

an’ forgivin’ me of my sin.

I know thet I often fail You,

but, I feel Your love within.

An’ I thank You for all the blessin’s

You’ve seen fit to put into my life. 

How You multiply them each day,

thru my helpmate, Stella, my wife.

An’ Lord, help me to know how

to always treat my fellow man,

‘cuz ways is sometimes different, 

so give me wisdom to understand.

We thank you for allowin’ each of us 

to enjoy the freedoms won at such cost

by those that faced the tyrant’s wrath

with courage when all seemed but lost.

 An’ I need Your help to stay my path,

an’ keep me from driftin’ a stray.

‘Cuz I know the trail is steep an’ tough,

so I thank You for bein’ here each day.

 I humbly hand to you this day

these tasks we’ve talked about.

 I know that you and you alone                                  

Can calm our fears and doubt.

Thanks for takin’ the time just to

listen to all I’ve got to say.

I know You’re always there.

An’ it shore looks like a fine day!

By Ol’ Jim Cathey

My Ol’ Daddy always said, “A feller that tells the Lord “Thank You” is on the right trail!”

If you choose to join us at First Baptist Church Marlin, Texas, you’d be on the right trail too.

God bless each of you and God Bless America!