END WELL: reflections from I Samuel

He started well, his name was Samuel.
Chosen by his parents,
Tasked to be God's voice to the people.

He started well, his name was Saul.
Chosen by God Himself,
Tasked to be the first king.

He started well, and he served well.
For his audience was God
And His strength the Lord's approval.
So he wasn't afraid to use harsh words
Even to the king
And make unpopular decisions.
Ah, his name was Samuel.

He started well, and he served with harshness.
For his audience was self glory
And his strength numbers and power.
So he wasn't afraid to employ ruthless measures
Even to his own son
And make stupid decisions.
His name was Saul.

He started well, and he ended well.
Even when the people rejected him
He didn't abandon his commitment.
He remained powerful in influence
For he cared not for position.

He started well, but he ended in shame.
Even after God's rejection
He refused to abandon the throne.
He had not a shred of influence
Even though he clung on to his position.

Be inspired by Samuel, learn from Saul.
One ran the race and stuck to the lanes.
The other stuck to his title, but died in shame.
Start well, why not?

But it's how we end that counts.