"Dream"

All my life I tried it seems,

To chase down those old cowboy dreams,

And all about a-horseback themes,

I loved the cowboy way.

But in the end I realized,

That all that I idealized,

Could be why I’d get penalized,

Excluding God, astray.

And so I thought I had to choose,

The cowboy way I had to lose,

To go all in for God’s good news,

No cowboy life for me.

But over time God gave it back,

When I surrendered, got on track,

And grace that always had my back,

Came and set me free.

Now I seek the Kingdom first,

And my direction He reversed,

Forgave me for my sins, the worst,

A new identity.

‘Cause He’s the Lord of who I am,

All surrendered to His plan,

Though I can’t, I know He can,

 Just cowboy up, you see.

“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33, NIV)

Seeking first the Kingdom of God means that we surrender all that we are and have to His control. Every aspect of our identity is given to Him. Sometimes when the surrender is made what is given is permanently deleted from our lives. Sometimes however what is surrendered is given back to us. It is no longer idolatrous, but is used to glorify God. That’s what happened when I gave my cowboy passion to God. He gave it back and now uses it for His Kingdom. Either way, we must seek the Kingdom above all else.

Lord, help us seek first Your Kingdom, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.