"Billy Cook"

One time when life was changing,

I sold ‘bout everything,

My place out in the country,

Horses, truck and roping string.

And there I saw it sitting,

Where I kept all my tack,

My duck-billed, ropin’ Billy Cook,

A basket-stamped old kack.

Across from those old stockyards,

Montgomery Serum cowboy store,

I’d saved up all my money,

Saddles lined up by the score.

A cowboy name of Alverson,

Sold me my first saddle,

Said it was just the one I need,

To work and rope the cattle.

But that was many years ago,

And now my life brought change,

I’m trading in what went before,

To find a brand new range.

I thought I’ll never ride again,

My neighbor gave me cash,

And, boys, I sold my saddle,

To make a life-change dash.

I’ve often thought about it,

And how I walked away,

Sometimes you got to sacrifice,

Hope for a better day.

I was wrong about the horses,

It was a brief time-out,

Now a-horseback often,

Several saddles stacked about.

But I think about that Billy Cook,

I got when just a kid,

They say don’t sell your saddle,

But that’s just what I did.

It wasn’t worth so very much,

If measured by a bill,

But when to comes to what it meant,

Just something that you feel.

I guess what I am saying,

Is now I understand,

Why “never sell your saddle,”

Should really be the plan.

I’ve left behind a lot of things,

And some I held too long,

Most don’t really matter now,

God’s grace for me is strong.

But I still mis that Billy Cook,

A shadow from the past,

Duck-bill horn and basket stamp,

That memory will last.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33, NLT)

We all have moments when we miss something or someone that we no longer have. But when we make God’s Kingdom our number one priority, He promises to give us everything we really need. His supply and provision are enough, and He softens the grief we might feel about our losses. Seeking God’s KIngdom above all else means that our top priority in life is surrender to Jesus Christ. He is the center of our existence and what matters most. This positions us to receive from the One who gives generously.

Lord, help us seek Your Kingdom above all else, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Don Weller, donweller.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.