"Be the Cowboy"

God knows that I was willing,

All these many years,

To change and be effective,

To dry somebody’s tears.

Be all things to all people,

So you can then win some,

Learn to speak their language,

When you invite to come.

And that’s how I have done it,

For a very long, long time,

But now it’s feeling different,

For what God has in mind.

And that’s because He’s using,

The cowboy that I am,

Don’t have to be somebody else,

To follow His great plan.

I wondered how He’d do it,

He said just watch and see,

Invite them from just where you are,

To where they need to be.

And I’ll use the cowboy,

That you have always been,

To get someone’s attention,

And save them from their sin.

You’ve always changed to save them,

And I have used you then,

But now just be the cowboy,

And all that you have been.

I like to use authentic,

You are no wanna be,

People know the difference,

It’s something they can see.

Humbly pull your boots on,

And go re-shape that hat,

Saddle up your pony,

And talk about all that.

And when your life is ended,

You’ll find the down home you,

Was what the Lord intended,

His work to always do.

“Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some…” (1 Cor. 9:22, NLT)

Paul tried to become all things to all men so he could save some. He would adapt to the slave lifestyle, or Jewish, or Gentile, or whatever so that he could establish common ground so that he could speak the good news of Jesus Christ to them in hopes of seeing them converted. Sometimes it worked. Other times not so much. We all should pray about how we can effectively connect with others, too. The only caution is when the drive to find common ground weakens one’s actual sense of identity and personhood. Bottom line: God has called us to be flexible so that we may relate to people, but he has not called us to be somone other that we are. Ultimately our unique, authentic identity is what He’ll use the most.

Lord, help us witness authentically for You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, shawncameron.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.