"He Said"

He said to do it this way,

And that’s because I asked,

I watched the way he cowboyed,

And every single task.

He had a way of doing things,

That made me want to copy,

Methodical and steady,

And anything but sloppy.

From the way he saddled up his horse,

To the way he built a loop,

The tilt of his Resistol,

And his quiet spur and whoop,

I knew he made his living,

By the habits that he’d made,

Woven tightly in the hours,

Like a strong, well-crafted braid.

I rarely heard a curse word,

I never saw him drink,

Though he rolled and smoked his own,

Sometimes a chew I think.

But he was gentle with his horses,

Never raised his voice or hand,

And looked like he got from them,

What most men never can.

And sometimes I think about him,

When I throw on my cack,

I think of things he mentioned,

In my mind they come on back.

And now I am much older,

Than he was way back then,

He moved to other ranch jobs,

And I lost touch with him.

But we never ought to wonder,

How much good one man can do,

When he steps into the saddle,

And cowboys straight and true.

He said to do it this way,

He told me ‘cause I asked,

I watched the way he cowboyed,

And every single task.

“It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.” (1 Peter 2:15, NLT)

The best sermons are lived so they can be spoken. We walk it so we can talk it effectively. Our honorable lives should actually be used by God as a way of defending the Gospel against foolish criticism. We can live this way if we are cooperative with the power of the Holy Spirit. As weak as we are, God chooses us as His ambassadors. He becomes strong in spite of our weakness, and energizes a witness of integrity.

Lord, teach us to walk in integrity, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mikel Donahue, used by permission. Thanks, Mikel, and God bless you.