Shel Silverstein is a wonderful poet ... One of my favorites both to read, and to read to my kiddos! He is frequently considered a "nonsense poet" - and rightfully so! However, sometimes I am struck by the deeper learnings he hides inside the silly poems he writes.
Like this one:
"I asked the zebra,
Are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or are you quiet with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on and on and on he went.
I'll never ask a zebra about stripes...again!"
Oh, what an intelligent zebra!
Am I good with bad habits? Or bad with good habits?
How simply can such a terrifying thought be stated! We strive daily to be good, and to do good. We want to be good parents. Good spouses. Good friends. Good children. Good employees. Good Christians. Good examples.
And though sometimes we aim to be good simply because it makes us feel, well, good ... Hopefully our motivation comes from God, a desire to be with Him, and a desire to bring others to Him (Mt. 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.")
Strive to be good though we may, we all succumb to bad habits now and then. Be it the fact that I bite my nails or something that puts my soul in far more immediate danger, we all can think of a thing or two we need to be working on. And that's okay ... As long as we are truly working!
To me, the second part of the zebras question is much scarier ... "or bad with good habits?" Sometimes we fall into thinking that "bad people" are all bad - and obviously bad at that! But oh, how Satan works. After all, bad people don't go to church...
Or do they?
What if. What if going to church is merely a good habit? Something we do out of tradition or because we are "expected" to be there?
What if taking the Lord's Supper is simply a good habit? The men pass, I partake, but my mind is far far away?
Do you see how dangerous good habits could be? Oh how easily they disguise the bad!
And that zebra isn't done asking questions!
Am I noisy with quiet times? Or quiet with noisy times?
I know the world is noisy ... And I aim daily to have my life be quiet in the peace of God. Do I always succeed at shutting out the world's noise? Of course not. But hopefully I inch closer and closer to being quiet with only noisy times.
Am I happy with sad days, or sad ewith happy days?
If I am not happy, I am in trouble .... For the joy of the Lord is weityh me always if only I will remember Him! When I find myself leaning towards being sad with only happy days ... Then I need seek Him all the more fervently!
Am I neat with some sloppy ways? Or sloppy with some neat ways?
I'm working on this one, too! Neatness - tidyness - cleanliness - organization - are increasingly important to me because the more in order I kerp my life and home, the more I have time to spend drawing closet the Lord, serve others, and draw closer to Him.
What about you? Can you answer the zebra the way you'd like - and be being honest with yourself?
Heres or more question for you ... Answer honestly.
Are you remembering the Lord and sinning occasionally? Or are you sinning and remembering the Lord occasionally?
Because you are only doing one or the other - and certainly not both.
Like this one:
"I asked the zebra,
Are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or are you quiet with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on and on and on he went.
I'll never ask a zebra about stripes...again!"
Oh, what an intelligent zebra!
Am I good with bad habits? Or bad with good habits?
How simply can such a terrifying thought be stated! We strive daily to be good, and to do good. We want to be good parents. Good spouses. Good friends. Good children. Good employees. Good Christians. Good examples.
And though sometimes we aim to be good simply because it makes us feel, well, good ... Hopefully our motivation comes from God, a desire to be with Him, and a desire to bring others to Him (Mt. 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.")
Strive to be good though we may, we all succumb to bad habits now and then. Be it the fact that I bite my nails or something that puts my soul in far more immediate danger, we all can think of a thing or two we need to be working on. And that's okay ... As long as we are truly working!
To me, the second part of the zebras question is much scarier ... "or bad with good habits?" Sometimes we fall into thinking that "bad people" are all bad - and obviously bad at that! But oh, how Satan works. After all, bad people don't go to church...
Or do they?
What if. What if going to church is merely a good habit? Something we do out of tradition or because we are "expected" to be there?
What if taking the Lord's Supper is simply a good habit? The men pass, I partake, but my mind is far far away?
Do you see how dangerous good habits could be? Oh how easily they disguise the bad!
And that zebra isn't done asking questions!
Am I noisy with quiet times? Or quiet with noisy times?
I know the world is noisy ... And I aim daily to have my life be quiet in the peace of God. Do I always succeed at shutting out the world's noise? Of course not. But hopefully I inch closer and closer to being quiet with only noisy times.
Am I happy with sad days, or sad ewith happy days?
If I am not happy, I am in trouble .... For the joy of the Lord is weityh me always if only I will remember Him! When I find myself leaning towards being sad with only happy days ... Then I need seek Him all the more fervently!
Am I neat with some sloppy ways? Or sloppy with some neat ways?
I'm working on this one, too! Neatness - tidyness - cleanliness - organization - are increasingly important to me because the more in order I kerp my life and home, the more I have time to spend drawing closet the Lord, serve others, and draw closer to Him.
What about you? Can you answer the zebra the way you'd like - and be being honest with yourself?
Heres or more question for you ... Answer honestly.
Are you remembering the Lord and sinning occasionally? Or are you sinning and remembering the Lord occasionally?
Because you are only doing one or the other - and certainly not both.
