"A Cowboy Knows"

(This poem is dedicated to my friend, Bubba Fowler)

A cowboy knows the weather,

He reads it like a book,

Didn’t learn it in a classroom,

But with a certain look.

He can pretty much predict it,

Though not without surprise,

And if you ever ask him,

There’s a twinkle in his eyes.

‘Cause he would not claim wisdom,

‘Bout something that’s so large,

And he’ll be the first to tell you,

There’s someone else in charge.

A cowboy knows his horses,

He moves ‘em with a touch,

A whisper and a whistle,

He knows how small, how much.

And when it’s time that cowboy,

A-horseback there will go,

To do whatever’s needed,

The time he’s spent will show.

A cowboy knows the cattle,

How to diagnose, bring care,

He knows when he must bring ‘em in,

And when to leave ‘em there.

To sort and brand and doctor,

To make sure they gain weight,

To rope ‘em when he has to,

When needed, won’t be late.

A cowboy knows the season,

He lives close to the soil,

He doesn’t punch a time clock,

But can till can’t his toil.

 A cowboy knows when someone,

Has been where he has been,

Or if they’re mostly hat and talk,

With a certain western spin.

A cowboy knows the difference,

Between what’s right and wrong,

And he’ll defend his country,

If his heart’s still beating strong.

And one more thing I’ll tell you,

‘Bout the cowboys that I know,

The best ones know the Savior,

And with the Spirit flow.

A cowboy knows the difference,

‘Tween the ones who want to pose,

And someone who’s the real deal,

A cowboy always knows.

“You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your hearts…” (1 Peter 1:22, NLT)

Just like with cowboys, there are Christian “wanna-be’s” and pretenders. Just because someone has a good talk, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have the walk. That’s not to be judgmental or to find fault. Neither does it trivialize the fact that we are called to verbalize our faith. But, bottom line, we are called to obey the truth and love each other sincerely. And no matter what people say they believe, if they don’t obey the Lord and learn to love, they aren’t the real deal. Neither are we….

Lord, help us live as authentic Christians who seek to obey You and to love each other, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Greg Niro, gregniro.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Greg, and God bless you.