A Tight-Wad

Oh I’ve been ’round a little bit
to places here and there;
like restaurants and grocery stores,
and to the house of prayer.
And everywhere I chance to go,
I usually surmise
it’s wise to take a bit of change—
a need may well arise.

Now, when I go to church and hear
of things that matter most,
and how a little goes so far
in rescuing the lost,
I’m always glad, the more I have
that I can give to God,
e’en though it meant to skimp and save,
and then be called, “tight-wad.”

But as I shop, I come across
some things, so nice to find.
The salesman sure is helpful while
I’m making up my mind!
And one thing really turns me on—
it’s when I look and see
that someone just as poor as I
has bought ahead of me!

They talk about those easy terms,
how I can well afford
to buy it now and pay it out;
where does this leave the Lord?
Somehow I seem to come up short,
and He’s the one who pays.
Or do I pay, by trophies lost
He would have saved by grace?

I realize it’s hard know
just where to draw the line;
you’ve got to live respectably
if for the Lord you’d shine.
But if we’ll all put Jesus first
and be a friend in need,
the what we keep will satisfy,
bring happiness indeed.

Now I’ve been called a tight-wad,
and possibly it’s true;
since many of the clothes I wear
are second-hand, not new.
If I can help to reach the lost—
a few more who need God,
then I don’t mind the folks too much
who call me a tight-wad!

fpn/1975

Published as Poem #32 in Contemporary Psalms

Picture: depositphotos.com #146916201, standard license