"Let 'Em Go"

Way back a long, long time ago,

I thought myself a roper,

But when it comes down to it,

I was really more a hoper.

And, yes, I’d caught the cattle,

In the pastures when they’re sick,

And when I really had to,

I’d learned to catch ‘em quick.

But last run in Mansfield,

In that old practice pen,

I nodded for a crossbred steer,

He outran us there and then.

We were runnin’ out of ropin’ pen,

I should have let him go,

But I sailed my loop way out there,

How I caught him I don’t know.

Old Drifter ducked hard to the left,

I was runnin’ out of slack,

Remember just like yesterday,

And cowboy time turned back.

I dallied up my thumb, you see,

And cut it to the bone,

Tryin’ hard to throw it down,

And leave that steer alone.

I got well and wish I’d learned,

Sometimes you let ‘em go,

But I’ve been burned a lot of times,

When better I should know.

Wisdom dawns for some too late,

For me it’s slow but sure,

Learning things the hard way,

Ain’t easy to endure.

But they say you’re not a failure,

Until you fail to learn,

And, brother, I’m still learnin’,

With every twist and turn.

The long shots sometimes work out right,

Sometimes it’s what you do,

It’s also good to let ‘em go,

The Good Lord gives the cue.

“Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest…” (Matthew 11:28, NAS)

Most of us carry burdens that are way too heavy and for way too long. For some it’s the burden of sin, guilt and regret. Sometimes it’s hard for us to forgive ourselves. For others we carry the pain of injuries inflicted by people who ran roughshod over our feelings and broke our hearts. Maybe it’s grief over the loss of a spouse or family member, and the pain is so great we just don’t see how to get over it. When Jesus invites us to come and bring our burdens to Him, He means it. And the good news is that when we let it go to Jesus, He really does give us relief. You might not even know how to pray about it, but a simple, “Lord, have mercy” is a good place to start. Let ‘em go.

Lord, help us to give You our burdens, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.