"Cowboy Be"

They asked a simple question,

What do you want to be,

When you’re grown into a man,

Was no surprise to me.

I always said the same thing,

No matter when they asked,

I want to be a cowboy,

I remember from the past.

Thing was I did mean it,

They’d laugh and say okay,

Thought I would get over,

What I said that day.

I grew up in the country,

And doing cowboy work,

A-horseback tending cattle,

Loved too much to shirk.

‘Cause I loved the lifestyle,

The cowboy way and all,

My mentors were all cowboys,

And there was no doubt, y’all,

That I would be a cowboy,

It just was in my blood,

And I cannot be sorry,

If you don’t think I should.

‘Cause I have waited tables,

And I have driven trucks,

And I have sold a lot of things,

And run straight out of luck.

I have been a pastor,

Preached thousands of times,

I’ve married and I’ve buried,

And quoted Bible lines.

And, yes, I do love Jesus,

And followed Him all in,

Trusted Him to lead me,

Forgave all of my sin.

But never in my lifetime,

With all that I’ve been through,

Could I say there’s something,

More I’d rather do,

Than saddle up my pony,

And make a circle day,

Ride through, care for livestock,

And in the country stay.

Jesus is my Savior,

And truly He’s my King,

I’ve surrendered my life,

And all my cowboy thing.

But so far He has told me,

Son, this is who you are,

And I just want to lead you.

Be with you near and far.

As long as you’re surrendered,

You can a cowboy be,

And I am very thankful,

‘Cause no doubt that is me.

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise…” (Eph. 5:15, NLT)

Wisdom does not require that we abandon every thought or desire about who we are or what we want to do in life. Wisdom simply requires that we surrender all of it to the Lordship of Jesus. Then our identity and activity does not become idolatry, but something that can glorify the Lord, which is ultimately why we are here. What do you want to be when you grow up? What would you still want to be? It’s okay to dream, desire, and achieve goals. It’s not okay to exclude the Lord from the process. In fact, some people never surrender their lives because they are afraid God will require them to give up something they love. Truth is, God claims our first love and loyalty because He knows what will make us truly happy. If our dreams are in sync with His will, all the better. If not, He is trying to save us from ourselves and disaster. The point is that we can trust Him. If you’re like me, you always wanted to cowboy. Or maybe your dream was to be or do something else. As much as I love to cowboy, I could never really enjoy it unless it was surrendered to Jesus. Because it is, I can cowboy up!

Lord, teach us to surrender our all to You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by JaNeil Anderson, janeilanderson.com. Used by permission. Thanks, JaNeil, and God bless you.