"Mo-Jo"

A cowboy came to work for Dad,

A long, long time ago,

Fact is, I was just a kid,

Been many years, you know.

But right away we hit it off,

Just like an older brother,

He got real close to all of us,

‘Specially Dad and Mother.

He was eighteen, I was twelve,

When our friendship began,

I learned the cowboy way from him,

He always said, “You can.”

And I guess I believed him,

When he said I could rope,

And I never even doubted,

When someone told me nope.

Or said I was just too young,

To catch a steer or two,

Said put the mo-jo on him,

And I made that come true.

First time I’d ever heard that,

He used it now and then,

When I got one good and caught,

He’d holler down the pen,

You put the mo-jo on him,

I always felt so proud,

‘Course it meant that he approved,

And said it right out loud.

Just what does “mo-jo” mean,

It’s power or it’s luck,

It’s when you get it done it seems,

With skill, ride out the buck.

I’ve thought about it often,

When I uncoil my twine,

Will I still have the mo-jo,

Or miss until next time.

And I will tell you, brother,

I’ve never gotten tired,

Of getting good encouragement,

Like from my friend Dad hired.

I pray I am the one who says,

To everyone who tries,

You’ve really got all that it takes,

To catch and win the prize.

Just put the mo-jo on it,

And quickly you will see,

That you can really cowboy up,

Be what you need to be.

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT)

All of us need encouragement. When someone gives us positive affirmation, it empowers us to do more than we ever thought possible. The opposite is also true. If we are constantly given negative feedback, it will be something we have to overcome. The value of connecting with other believers regularly, according to the writer of Hebrews, was all about encouragement and motivating each other. It takes intentionality to function this way, but it’s definitely worth it! The results are eternal.

Lord, help us give the encouragement to others that we need for ourselves, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Jess Lee, jessleephotos.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Jess, and God bless you.