"Cowboy Days"

The cowboy day is dawning,

The coffee’s black and hot,

Cowboss said, get out the bed,

Let’s go see what we got.

Trot out to make the circle,

Sound of hoof on stone,

The leather creaks and no one speaks,

The first of sun’s rays shone.

And long we search and wander,

Through grasslands look to find,

The bovine there, with careful care,

To leave not one behind.

Sometimes the cows are stubborn,

Tryin’ to hide their calf,

Run a bit, and then they quit,

From brush they at us laugh.

But we will make ‘em sorry,

They hid from us that way,

Don’t give ‘em choice, just make some noise,

And push, don’t let ‘em stay.

And while we do this work, you see,

We’re breathin’ air that’s free,

God seems close, we feel the most,

A-horseback when we see,

The trailin’ herd of cattle,

Spread out across the land,

And on the breeze, the moments seize,

And soon to drag and brand.

It’s not a life for everyone,

Not all can do or should,

But thanks I say, for cowboy days,

‘Cause every one is good.

“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it…” (Psalm 118:24, NLT)
What day is the psalmist talking about? He speaks of the day when the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone of all that God is building. But he also asks the Lord for salvation and success. So the meaning is two fold. We rejoice in the day that salvation was made possible through Jesus, and we rejoice in the gift of each new day when we can experience this salvation and success by the grace of God. Each new day gives us a new opportunity to celebrate the cornerstone, and that is exactly what we should do. Yes, life has its heartbreaks and challenges, but also its blessings and victories. Maximize the day, in Jesus’ name.

Lord, help us rejoice in the day You have made, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Grant Redden, used by permission. Thanks, Grant, and God bless you.