"Cowboy Real"

A cowboy ain’t no boy at all,

But an authentic horseback man,

And sometimes they’re a female,

Who’s really made a hand,

And not about a hat and boots,

Or buckles, jeans or snaps,

But all about the work that’s done,

And just how well perhaps.

I’ve known those with a costume,

Whose mouth was full of boast,

But when it came to workin’ cattle,

If was not quite and almost.

And the best hands I have ever known,

Felt little need to say,

But they were cowboys to the bone,

And showed it every day.

And the heart of being cowboy,

Is one who has some skill,

With the care of livestock,

But boast they never will.

But humbly and quite ably,

Does work far from the town,

Ad lots of it we never see,

‘Cause no one is around.

The cowboy life and cowboy work,

Is not what’s on TV,

But more like a vocation,

Lived out authentically.

And I’ll allow the same is true,

For those whose faith they feel.

Authentically on purpose,

They know God’s pow’r is real.

“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3, NAS)

Authentic discipleship is characterized by obeying the Lord. This does not mean that we always get it right. Sometimes as believers in Jesus we fall short of what the Lord intends. But the direction of our lives have changed, and it’s our desire to please the Lord and obey what He calls us to be and do. We may fail, but we fail forward. We may fall, but we keep getting up by the grace of God, determined to obey the Lord. His will is our all-consuming pursuit and purpose.

Lord, help us obey, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Anton, used by permission. Thanks, Bill, and God bless you.