"Encourage"

The yearlings were well-scattered,

Cross that Lowndes County place,

We tried to gather early,

To avoid a great, big race.

And so we planned our first round,

With barely enough light,

Sat horseback with our coffee,

Till we thought the time was right.

And then eased out around ‘em,

Hazing them along,

Quiet, not much commotion,

To do it right, not wrong.

Gathering small bunches,

To push ‘em in a herd,

All the same direction,

A bit of wind was stirred,

Which helped to keep ‘em going,

And not to get too hot,

It was a cool fall morning,

And we hoped the most we got.

Now and then you’d see a big one,

From maybe the year before,

Some old steer that got away,

Twelve hundred pounds or more.

And we might just get lucky,

And drive him right on in,

Or maybe he’d just disappear,

And gone from where he’d been.

So now the first truck’s loaded,

And the second parked in place,

The count went past five hundred,

Put a big smile on Dad’s face.

And now the day grew hotter,

Close to dinner time,

That’s what we called our lunch back then,

The shade tree worked out fine.

For me, sardines and crackers,

And a big slice of hoop cheese,

A coke out of the cooler,

And a cookie, if you please.

The horses, their girths loosened,

Sleepy-eyed, relaxed,

They did their job that morning,

And not one over-taxed.

But now back in the saddle,

We’ll see what we can find,

There’s bound to be more cattle,

That we have left behind.

And as the shadows lengthen,

And the evenin’s cool comes on,

We found a dozen yearlings,

And drove them right along.

And right there in the middle,

Was a big, old brindle steer,

Cow boss said, “Well, look at that,

Can’t believe that he’s still here.”

“Watch him, Brad, he will break back,

He’s been wild so long,”

And when the catch pen came in sight,

He turned to get long gone.

Four cowboys threw their ropes at him,

And four made a clean miss,

And even though I was a kid,

Let me tell you this,

I ate and slept with that old rope,

That my Dad gave to me,

I stood up in my stirrups,

And caught that steer, you see.

The others rode up laughing,

A-hollering at me,

They said I’d prolly need a hat,

A bigger size to be.

The first big steer I ever caught,

A memory in my mind,

And cowboys sayin’ I did good,

A treasure hard to find.

The Good Book says it plain and clear,

To give encouragement,

It really makes a difference,

In how one’s life is spent.

So take an extra minute,

And catch ‘em in the act,

Of really doing something good,

And let ‘em know the fact,

That you appreciate it,

And you like what they did,

Like the words of those old cowboys,

When I was just a kid.

“…But encourage one another daily…” (Heb. 3:13, NIV)

The tendency is to let life harden and desensitize us to God’s words and will. We get tired, and sometimes discouraged. Let’s face it. We all go through low times. One of the answers is to give and receive encouragement. The writer of Hebrews says it should part of our daily habit. We should consider how we may “spur” one another to love and good works. I wear spurs when I ride. I realize not all do, but I always have. I am not abusive with my spurs. I just use them to encourage my horse to do what I want him to do. We need encouragement and we need to give it. Sometimes just one kind word is enough to make my day. I bet you feel the same way, too. Why not build someone up today? It can make a big difference.

Lord, help us to encourage others, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mary Ross Buchholz, maryrossbuchholz.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless your day.