I wrote the following song-poem in the 1970s. It was about the same time Helen Reddy was singing her hit pop song “I Am Woman” if you are old enough to remember that one.

During the recent presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton seemed to change Helen’s song title to “I Am Woman, You Are Deplorable” indicating that half of the common hard working citizens of America belonged in a ‘basket of deplorable’ Americans.

In contrast the Bible says “Keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them, for such people are slaves not of our Lord Christ, but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (Romans 16:17-18).

Feel free to substitute the word “common” with “deplorable” in my song-poem and I’m sure the meaning of the song will better fit the way Hillary and her elite liberal supporters truly viewed the common American worker (male or female). It was Hillary’s viewpoint about the deplorable people which partially led to her stunning defeat by Donald Trump, who became viewed as a champion of the common American worker and he won the job.

And now, as of January 20, 2017 Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States.

The intention of my song-poem is to “honor” the common hardworking men and women of America, including farm families and all the other blue collar workers across our great nation. These were the very type of people I grew up within my family and community.

Going forward it is the intention of Donald Trump to put as many “common” people as possible back to work in the USA, and to be sure, there is no shame in being common.

The Bible says, “Lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior”(1Timothy 2:2-3).

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

“But if anyone will not work, neither let him eat, for some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-11).

Also, let us not forget that Jesus Christ was born in a lowly manger, raised in a human family of humble means, and worked hard as a carpenter in the family business until around the age of 30, just prior to his three year ministry. His work as a carpenter (Mark 6:3) would be considered a blue collar job today. The Bible puts it this way, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) Praise God for that!

The Life of a Common Man

Oh, it’s a hard life, but it’s a good life
The life of a common man
Yes, it’s a hard life, but it’s a good life
The life of a common man

A common man has to get up with the sun
He has to labor all day to get his work done
The sweat on his brow and the dirt on his hands
Is the price he pays; his existence demands

You won’t read his name in the front page news
He won’t make history or the book of Who’s Who
He’s just a hardworking man doing the best he can
To make a good life, cause he’s a family man

He will work and pray his whole life long
His back may grow weak, but his faith remains strong
It was men of this kind who built the USA
And it’s still the common man who keeps it going today

Oh, it’s a hard life, but it’s a good life
The life of a common man
Yes, it’s a hard life, but it’s a good life
The life of a common man.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Praise God for all the hardworking common men and women in America. They have truly been the backbone of our American nation ever since its founding.

If you can relate to “The Life of a Common Man” song-poem, then I thank God for you!

This Christmas try to take a few minutes out of your hectic schedule to enjoy the scent and beauty of a freshly-cut and decorated Christmas tree—perhaps your own tree at home, and as you gaze upon it, ponder to yourself how “Life Is Like a Christmas Tree.”

The Christmas tree is one of the most familiar symbols of every Christmas season. A decorated tree adds beauty to the holiday and brings hope of great treasures beneath its branches for the little ones on Christmas Day.

But have you ever thought of the Christmas tree as being symbolic of real life? The next time you look upon a Christmas tree to admire its beauty—see if you can gain a fresh perspective on living a Christian life at the same time.

From just a few feet away, take a good long look at a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, and at the same time imagine the tree as being our world.The former roots of that tree represented the very beginning of civilization.The trunk of the tree represents the growth of civilization over time, until it spread to all corners of the earth, just like the branches of the tree spreading out in every direction.

Imagine then the large circumference of branches at the bottom of the tree as representing the broad societal base of poor people in the world. The center, slightly smaller portion of the tree, represents the lower and upper middle classes. Occupying the top rungs of society, as represented by the smaller branches at the top of the tree, are the relatively small number of rich people in our world.

Imagine next that the ornaments on the tree are the various cities and countries of the world. They come in various sizes, and some of them are very beautiful places and some not as much. Then imagine the abundant needles on the branches and also the lights on the tree as being the people in our Christmas tree world. The needles of the tree represent the large non-Christian population of the world.

Try as you might to decorate and “brighten” those sometimes soft, but often times prickly and irritating needles, just take a look behind the branches into the inner depths of the tree and you will find only darkness and emptiness. The beautifully decorated needles and branches put out no glowing light, because their beauty is merely a surface beauty attempting to hide the emptiness within. It requires “lights” to really illuminate the decorated tree and make our Christmas tree world a thing of beauty.

The lights on the tree are the Christians in our Christmas tree world. Compared to the non-Christian population of the world they are rather few in number. But as you closely examine the tree you will not find the Christians all bunched together, separating themselves from the rest of society. Instead you find them scattered throughout the world doing God’s work in the places He has chosen for them to serve and witness for Him.You can easily distinguish the Christians in our Christmas tree world by their inward as well as outward glow, for the light in them has removed the original darkness in their lives, which was caused by the sin nature found in each one of us. The ability of Christians to spread light and enlighten the world is only provided by the Holy Spirit within them, placed there from the moment they accepted Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as their Savior and Lord of their lives.

Christians are God’s lights in this world for making our world a better place to live joyful lives. The more Christians in our Christmas tree world, the more beautiful the lighted tree. Now you may be asking yourself exactly where God and Jesus are located in our Christmas tree world. Well, God is there at the very top of our Christmas tree world.

There at the top of the tree is where you find the most beautiful decoration of all. It is there—above all else, where all eyes turn toward sooner or later as we view a beautiful Christmas tree. Yes, God is there, up above, looking down on His creation, able to see absolutely everything going on in His world, and seeing to it that all things work together in accordance with His divine will and eternal plan.

God watches over the rich and the poor alike, the Christians and the non-Christians alike, the small to large cities and countries alike, and over His entire world. And Jesus is represented by the power plug in our Christmas tree world, for He indeed is the Light of the world.

Jesus Christ makes the difference between light and darkness, between lights and all the other decorations in our tree world, and only through Jesus can your own personal light be lit—and that only happens when you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

In conclusion, simply remember that it matters “not” what your physical location or personal wealth is anywhere in God’s world, because God loves you regardless and is watching out for you no matter what your situation is in life. What does matter is that you have received the light of Jesus Christ within you, which blots out the darkness of all your sins through your belief in Him.

God’s pathway to salvation and eternal life in heaven is found only through His Son, Jesus Christ, and Jesus is our Heavenly Father’s special Christmas and Resurrection “gift” offered equally to all of us. All we need to do individually is “accept” His free gift.

So, seek and find the power plug for your life in our Christmas tree world. Plug it in and then begin letting your light shine brightly in your life—and then share that light with others. Now, hopefully you can see how “Life is Like a Christmas Tree.”

Wishing you ALL a very blessed and MERRY CHRISTMAS this year!