"Belle"

I’m ridin’ Belle, my pretty mare,

We hadn’t really gone nowhere,

But doing well without a care,

I really like this Belle.

We’re off for a mornin’ cattle drive,

Feelin’ glad to be alive,

‘Bout fifteen miles ‘fore we arrive,

And then some cowboy hell.

Young cowboy right in front of me,

Horse as balky as can be,

Muddy ditch right there, you see,

And Belle, she’s not too sure.

When his old pony breaks in two,

Bucks him off into the slough,

Cinches break, what can you do,

A runaway detour.

But Belle, she does not wait to see,

She sails right o’er that ditch with me,

I didn’t know how high she’d be,

By golly, we got gone.

They caught that other fellow’s horse,

So young he bounced, not hurt of course,

His spurs were probably the source,

We all just moved along.

Sometimes it’s just some little thing,

Sure gets western and will bring,

Trouble, so avoid the sling,

Go on and jump the ditch.

But don’t be in too big a rush,

If you’re cussin, why not hush,

Don’t distress yourself too much,

‘Cause life is gonna pitch.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance…” (Romans 5:3, NLT)

You have problems, I have problems, and all God’s children have problems. Things go wrong and life can really buck you off if you let it. Sometimes we make it worse by spurring and rushing, and forgetting that faster is not always better. It’s challenging but important to remember that problems have a purpose in God’s ongoing agenda. He uses everything to teach us. Nothing is wasted in God’s economy. He even uses our failures redemptively, and His Spirit teaches us not to panic and do something stupid the next time we are under pressure. It is the Holy Spirit’s work in us that produces godly character. When that is happening, everything goes better, even the down times.

Lord, use our trials to teach us what we need to know, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Owen, cowhorsegallery.com. Used by permission. Thanks and God bless.