"If" by Rudyard Kipling (Part 7)

I love the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling . . . thirty-two lines of wisdom that provide possibly the best instruction in manliness (why not womanliness, too?) written by a father to his son. The father concludes that if  his son will assimilate this good advice into his conduct, then

"Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

_____________________________________ 

 

Let's take a look now at the next four lines of the poem.

 

"If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;"

As a woman who has been averse to risk-taking all her life, I find this one difficult. Do you? To be willing to risk everything you've worked for in one turn of "pitch-and-toss." At first consideration, this "pitch and toss" could smell like gambling and we might shrug it off as an activity we shun--albeit with one concern, i.e., Why would a father encourage his son to gamble?

 

However, let's not be too quick to dismiss something that could have scriptural application. We all take risks, don't we--whether it's investing in a home, retirement income, or a relationship. Any one of these can sour on us, yet we take the risk because of the potential benefit. Even so, sometimes our fondest hopes evaporate into the mist.

And then what do we do? Do we give up on life, on people, on hope? Or do we start again, older and wiser, and build on the one thing we cannot lose--our relationship with Jesus Christ, our hope of glory.

And then the father gives more good counsel--never breath a word about your loss. Don't give in to the temptation to wallow in self-pity, slander those who have hurt you, or permit roots of bitterness to poison yourself and everyone around you. Keep it to yourself. Better yet, turn it over to God. He is our ever-present help in times of trouble.

 

"If" by Rudyard Kipling (Part 6)

I love the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling . . . thirty-two lines of wisdom that provide possibly the best instruction in manliness (why not womanliness, too?) written by a father to his son. The father concludes that if  his son will assimilate this good advice into his conduct, then

"Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

_____________________________________

 

Let's look now at the next four lines of the poem.

"If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:"

We've already discussed how it feels to be lied about. Now let's talk about how we feel when the truth we've spoken is twisted by evil persons to trip up fools. Let's unpack these two very condensed lines.

Suppose someone comes to you with a problem and you give the very best counsel you know to give. You try your best to speak the truth in love, maybe even go out on a limb--exposing yourself in the process--all in an effort to be of help. You believe your words and your intent have been understood. You believe you left on good terms and you have no regrets.

 

Later others berate you for the hurtful counsel you gave this person. As they relate the grievance to you, the story bears no resemblance to the truth. You believe your words, your truth, has been twisted in order to sour others (fools?) against you. Fools? Well, a wise person would get your side of the story before berating you.

 

End result: your words have been twisted to your detriment.

 

Maybe you've given your life to helping others in order that God may be glorified in your good works. Maybe your reputation and future ministry suffer loss as a result of this "knave's" duplicity.

Do you respond in anger? Do you rise up and fight for yourself and for your reputation? Do you take vengeance? Or do you stoop down and begin the work of rebuilding your reputation one step at a time--though your heart be broken and your spirit wounded.

If you can do this, if you can turn the matter over to God and let Him take appropriate action, while you rebuild your life with worn-out tools, then  . . .

"Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

 

If you have been hurt in this way, why not stop and turn the matter over to God right now.

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

I've been going on about the wonderful poem and suddenly it occurred to me that some people may not have seen this poem in its entirety. So, here it is. Enjoy it today and we'll get back to discussing it tomorrow.

"If"

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

"If" by Rudyard Kipling (Part 5)

I love the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling . . . thirty-two lines of wisdom that provide possibly the best instruction in manliness (why not womanliness, too?) written by a father to his son. The father concludes that if  his son will assimilate this good advice into his conduct, then

"Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

_____________________________________

 

Today we're looking at the next two lines, as follows:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
and treat those two impostors just the same;

Notice Kipling capitalizes Triumph and Disasters. He could have as easily put them in quotation marks. Don't we sometimes maximum our triumphs and disasters? Aren't we often swept away by them? 

 

We mustn't think too highly of ourselves. Nor should we think too lowly. The best among us falls short of the glory of God. Likewise, we shouldn't think too highly of our triumphs--nor magnify our disasters.

We are here to serve God and bring glory to Him. Therefore, rather than focus on the results of our earthly endeavors, rather than put confidence in the flesh, we should focus on serving Him. We can learn from the Apostle Paul.

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize

for which God has called me heavenward

in Christ Jesus."

~ Philippians 3:13-14

 

We should simply obey God's call to serve. At the proper time, He will honor us with a "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." And that good word will mean more to us than all the acclaim the world can muster. So when Triumph or Disaster come your way, treat them both the same--forget about them and press on . . . .

 

"If" by Rudyard Kipling (Part 4)

I love the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling . . . thirty-two lines of wisdom that provide possibly the best instruction in manliness (why not womanliness, too?) written by a father to his son. The father concludes that if  his son will assimilate this good advice into his conduct, then

"Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

_____________________________________

 

Today we're looking at the next two lines, as follows:

 

"If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;"

Let's look at these lines from a biblical perspective:

In Bible times night dreams could sometimes bring direct revelation from God. Think Joseph and Daniel. In our day, God may also speak to us through dreams. Some of our most intriguing thoughts come from dreams. For example, think science fiction. Where in the world do those notions come from--notions which often become reality decades later? (Is God giving us a bird's eye view of the future?) 

 

In any case, dreaming - whether asleep or awake - can bear fruit. Out of dreams come ideas that may lead to action and further the public good. I like what Robert Kennedy said about dreams. "There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why . . . . I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"

 

Some dreamers, however,  become mastered by their dreams to the point they are unproductive, "pie in the sky" thinkers who become a drain on their families and society. No father wants this for his son or daughter.

 

Along similar lines, fathers want their children to be able to think. Thinking is obviously a good thing. But what about those who only think, and never do? Will thinking bring home the bacon or put bread on the table? Will thinking produce a clean house and clean clothes? Will thinking give children the hands-on instruction they need from their parents?

If thoughts become our sole aim, we neglect the practical. Like it or not, we live in the here and now and there are times when we must "stick to business."

 

The father in Rudyard Kipling's "If" says that if you do these things, you are on our way to owning the earth and everything that's in it, and - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

 

Tomorrow we'll discuss triumphs and disaster.

 

"If" by Rudyard Kipling (Part 3)

I love the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling . . . thirty-two lines of wisdom that provide possibly the best instruction in manliness (why not womanliness, too?) written by a father to his son. The father concludes that if  his son will assimilate this good advice into his conduct, then

"Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

Today we're looking at the next four lines, as follows:

"If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

or being hated, don't give way to hating,

and yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise."

Let's flesh this out with some biblical wisdom.

Wait? Who likes to wait? Certainly in our era of instant gratification, most moderns find waiting tedious at best.  Waiting can actually be a good thing:

• it gives us time to clear our head and plot a course of action that will work. Rather than simply having a knee-jerk reaction, we can be purposeful, and
• it gives us time to renew our strength so that when we must act, we will have the power to do so.

Knowing that waiting can be a good thing and yet not chafing against it--not being tired by waiting--is a mark of maturity and a sign of manhood. Waiting on the Lord is a sign of wisdom: those who do gain renewed strength and stamina.

Who likes being lied about? We get in enough trouble on our own without having people lie about us, don't we? We want others to have a good opinion of us and we resent it when someone distorts our image. The temptation is to strike back--perhaps even lie about the other person to make him look bad. The mature person does not sink to this level.

When people lie about you, they either are guilty of passing on inaccurate information they've heard (gossip, slander) or they are purposely bearing false witness against you. Either way, they are sinning against God's commandments and come under His judgment. Understanding that God leaves no unconfessed sin unpunished, allows you to "take the high road" and wait for God to take appropriate action even when the lie stings.

Who likes being hated? We are social beings. God made us that way from the beginning, noting that it was not good that man should be alone. As social beings, we've learned that life works best when everyone tries to get along. Occasionally, an event or personality conflict will lead to hatred expressed toward another human being. Perhaps you have felt the oppressive hatred of someone else.

You can counter this hatred by:

• hating them back, thereby stirring the pot and making things worse, or by
• committing yourself to God who knows the facts and who judges righteously.

Committing yourself to God is a sign of maturity and, once again, involves waiting for God to act at the proper time.

Taking the high road in all these instances could lead to a sense of superiority:

"Too bad others can't be as mature as I am." 

But this verse ends with the admonition to be humble:  

"don't look too good, nor talk too wise."

Who likes to be humble? Being humble goes against the grain. From childhood many of us developed a desire to be noticed. "Hey, look at me!" We loved it when our parents stopped everything to notice and applaud any little thing we did. 

Trouble is, some of us never grew up.

When Jesus came into the world to save the likes of you and me, He humbled Himself. And we, His followers, are told to have the mind of Christ, to let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind let each of us esteem others better than himself.

Being humble is a sign of maturity and confidence in the goodness of God, waiting on Him to lift us up in due season.

If you can do all these things--all of which involve waiting on God--you will have accomplished the third of many challenges this earthly father has put to his son. Keep it up and you are on your way to being a man, or woman, the Father can be proud of.

Tomorrow we'll look at dreams and thoughts . . . .