I’D RATHER HAVE JESUS

I would rather be a peacemaker than a troublemaker,
Correct a fault than find one, improve than disapprove;
I would rather help a neighbour than try to tear him down,
Give of myself and mine than take of his; — That's called Christian love.

I would rather try to make things better than make them worse,
Refrain from speaking at all than speak to wound;
I would rather turn the other cheek than lose a friend,
Gain a brother or a sister than the other way around.

I would rather praise the Lord than fret and worry,
Trust in Him completely than put my trust in money or in men;
I would rather tell the Good News than make headlines in the world's news,
Make the best of my present situation than brood about what it might have been.

But the things I'd rather do, I confess I do not always,
For I'm not perfect yet but growing still;
My "old man" still rears his head, my will takes over
When I should be acting in my Heavenly Father's will.

Most of all, I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world can offer,
For without Him, nothing else is worth a plugged nickel!

a. franklin staples

January 16, 1995

Copyright © 1995 by A. Franklin Staples