"Long Live Cowboys"

What happened to the cowboys,

Who rode the range back when,

Some think he up and moved to town,

And workin’ inside then.

They left the open spaces,

For a lawn and neighborhood,

Decided for a safer life,

Though he never thought he would.

No more buckin’ horses,

To deal with in the morn,

And no more freezin’ weather,

Pullin’ calves out when they’re born.

Escaped all the frustration,

Of equipment broken down,

Danged old truck and tractor,

Now a nice sedan in town.

And those crazy bovine heifers,

That don’t respect a fence,

And the bulls that go and chase ‘em,

And don’t have a lick of sense.

Yessir, he’s done with all the headache,

Gets off work at five,

Watches cowboy channel,

‘Cause it shows the ropin’ live.

And maybe he’s forgot it,

What he did and used to be,

But my guess is he’ll never,

Get over it, you see.

‘Cause if he really left it,

In his mind it’s sure he knows,

There’s lots of his compadres,

Still out there makin’ throws.

And no, you might not see ‘em,

From the highway passin’ through,

But that don’t mean they’re absent,

Just too far to see, it’s true.

They ride Owyhee desert,

Davis mountains rough and dry,

All through the plains and grasslands,

Just tryin’ to get by.

They range from black belt country,

Where the river bottoms spread,

To the southern shores of Dixie,

The cowboy way ain’t dead.

And, yes, some took up different ways,

And I say good for them,

Have no judgment for ‘em,

It’s a choice for her or him.

But I am still so glad to say,

I know some real, true hands,

I doubt they’d ever leave it,

They roll with its demands.

Thank God for the country,

A way of life so free,

And we say long live cowboys,

And may they always be.

“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off, bu the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.” (James 1:24-25, NAS)

Every lifestyle choice we make, whether cowboy or not, should be an investment in what lasts forever. This life, as we know it, is ultimately temporary. But what outlives it? The word of the Lord and the eternal fruit it bears. When we receive the truth of God’s word we are set free to become all we were created to be. I’m a big fan of the cowboy way, but nothing is more important that the Jesus way. Don’t miss it.

Lord, help us to receive and follow Your eternal word, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Robert “Shoofly” Shufelt, used by permission. Thanks, Robert, and God bless you.