LUKE 9:62 KJV
Walter E. Isenhour wrote a clever poem that appeared in The Wesleyan Youth many years ago. Written for teens, its message is timeless.
Watch Your Can’ts and Cans
If you would have some worthwhile plans
You’ve got to watch your can’ts and cans;
You can’t aim low and then rise high;
You can’t succeed if you don’t try;
You can’t go wrong and come out right;
You can’t love sin and walk in the light;
Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
LUKE 9:62 KJV
You can’t throw time and means away
And live sublime from day to day.
You can be great if you’ll be good
And do God’s will as all men should;
You can ascend life’s upward road,
Although you bear a heavy load;
You can be honest, truthful, clean,
By turning from the low and mean;
You can uplift the souls of men
By words and deeds, or by your pen.
So watch your can’ts and watch your cans.
And watch your walks and watch your stands,
And watch the way you talk and act,
And do not take the false for fact;
And watch the things that mar or make;
For life is great to every man
Who lives to do the best he can.2
As your day progresses, keep in mind that your life goes in the direction you aim it. A popular saying in recent years sums up this idea succinctly: “Whether you think you can or can’t—you’re right.” Have an “I can” attitude today, and then pursue excellence with all your ability.
People can alter their lives
by altering their attitudes.
WILLIAM JAMES