"Been There"

Been horseback where the wind blows,

And the cattle graze so steep,

Make a livin’ at sharp angles,

When they follow grass to eat.

Been down along the Brazos,

Where you’ll fight a bug or two,

When you’re lookin’ for lost heifers,

And searchin’ till you do.

Been down Exchange in old Ft. Worth,

Behind those longhorn steers,

Showing all the tourists there,

A glimpse of drover years.

And dragged steers out of thickets,

With help from dogs and friends,

And wondered if we missed a few,

And need to ride back in.

I’ve doctored in bad weather,

And dragged calves to the fire,

Been so cold and hot at times,

Longed for an inside hire.

But in it all and through it all,

The blessings far outweigh,

Any of the hard times,

About my cowboy days.

I’m glad I got to do it,

And I will do it still,

With every passing season,

And saddle up until,

The Good Lord says life’s over,

Then I will homeward fly,

To cowboy on forever,

With my Savior in the sky.

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom…” (Psalm 90:12, NLT)

Here is great wisdom from the psalmist! Life is filled with experiences, some of which we thought we might not survive. It’s also filled with wonder and blessing, that we would love to relive. Either way, life passes more quickly than any of us imagined, and the older we get, the more we want to make it count. Realizing life’s brevity should be a wake-up call to live thankfully and on purpose with what we have left. We don’t want to waste a moment, but maximize it so that it becomes an eternal investment. The end is coming for all of us. But it holds the promise of an eternal beginning. Praise the Lord.

Lord, give us wisdom to maximize the gift of today, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by John Bye, used by permission. Thanks, John, and God bless you.