"Cowboy Humble"
Old Daddy tried to tell me,
When we were workin’ cattle,
Always do the best you can,
A- horseback in the saddle.
Rein back, ride behind the man,
The cow boss leads the way,
Learn to keep your mouth shut,
Whether full-time or a day.
Show ‘em cowboy skills you have,
But humbly do your part,
Better that than boastful,
And finish what you start.
And if you know you’ve done it wrong,
Be the first one to admit,
Try again and better still,
And don’t you ever quit.
Who you are and what you know,
Is better shown than told,
Remember that old cowboy way,
Is like furnace-tested gold.
And those who’ve gone before you,
Their wisdom’s worth a lot,
And all we know we learned from them,
They gave us what we got.
Your horsemanship and savvy,
Your cattle-handling skills,
Will open many doors for you,
Unless your ego fills,
Your head and heart with foolishness,
So always humble be,
And then the grace will flow right through,
Dad’s good advice for me.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…” (James 4:6, NLT)
Humility is high on God’s priority list. Why? Because humility positions us to receive the grace God wants to give us. Humility is the ability to see ourselves accurately, as God sees us. This means we will always see ourselves in need of His grace, which is promised to be sufficient for every need. James tells us God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. You might call humility the grace-trigger. God always opposes pridefulness and arrogance. Why? Because being prideful means I won’t acknowledge how much I need the Lord to help me. No matter our immediate problem, humility is vital to receive the grace we need to overcome. Walking humbly means I’m acknowledging my dependence on the grace that God alone can give. I give Him the praise rather than taking credit because He alone is worthy. Walking humbly is the only way to go.
Lord, help us receive the grace You promise to the humble, in Jesus’ name.
Art by Don Dane, dondane.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.