Possum

When we lived in Waco, TX, we had a friend and church member that was quite the character. He had been educated at Baylor University and had taught biology for a while and then worked a few years as a restaurant inspector. When we knew him, he was in his late 50’s and had been dubbed “Possum” by another friend. I’m not sure why he was called Possum, he just was. Somewhere along the way Possum had decided that the traditional lifestyle was not for him. He didn’t have any family and never married, although he did have a girl friend for a brief time while we were living in Waco. He gave up his 8 – 5 job and mowed yards for a living. You could see him most any summer day in his little pickup hauling his push mower, rake and broom up and down the streets of Waco. He still lived in the house he had grown up in and inherited from his parents. Possum had an odd way about him that endeared him to everyone and reflected a deep wisdom that only comes from a life well lived. He was fond of saying, “Don’t criticize your enemies until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Then you’ll be a mile away from them and you’ll have their shoes.”

He frequently pulled into my driveway to chat. He would go to the door and then go back and stand by his pickup, waiting on me to come out. I could never get him to come in the house. We talked about many things: sermons, the weather, mutual friends, politics, the “Missus” and a hundred other topics. One of those other topics was the vacation that Possum was planning. Possum was always planning a vacation, usually to Wyoming to go fly fishing. We would discuss the route, the things he would need, even settle on a date. The day would inevitably come, Possum would pack, loading his pickup with every conceivable item and then go to bed to rest before the early start the next day. Possum would get up bright and early, go out, and unload his pickup, almost every time. Some of the guys at church even promised to pay for the trip if he would just go. One year, he actually left town headed north. He got as far as Fort Worth, about 100 miles, and turned around and came home. As far as I know, Possum has never made it to Wyoming.

The trip was obviously very important to Possum or he would not have planned it so meticulously every year. However, his reasons for not going were even more important, at least to him. We don’t like it but the fact is that many of us are just like Possum. We make big plans, especially this time of year, to make changes in our lives. We make meticulous plans to jolt us out of our ruts only to fall back on excuses for the status quo. Too much work. Not enough time. Next year for sure. Something came up. It’s my children. It’s my parents. The list really can be long, can’t it?

Maybe it’s time to stop making resolutions and work on making covenants. A covenant is a promise, not a wish. It’s a promise to another, or to God, and sometimes both. Maybe it’s time we see our need for change not as a physical or mental issue but as a spiritual issue. Give it to God. Regularly pray about it. Be accountable to another. If you fail at first, don’t consider yourself a failure. God doesn’t! Continue working and praying and working. Allow the Spirit access to empower.

Let me know how it goes.

See you in Wyoming.