"Old Hat"

Don’t even bother telling him,

That you don’t like his hat,

He’s not gatherin’ opinions,

Or anything like that.

And if you like a buttoned shirt,

Won’t wear an old pearl snap,

Never mind if he wears one,

It’s his shirt, grant him that.

When you see he’s got a wild rag on,

And you laugh and wonder why,

It’s just his cowboy fashion,

When the wind is getting high.

Or he might tuck his jeans in,

And then again, might not,

Cuff ‘em up enough to wear,

The longer ones he’s  got.

A vest and blue jean jacket,

An oil-cloth slicker, too,

Spurs with rowels that you can see,

And music by LeDoux.

He even has some cowboy cuffs,

That he wears now and then,

They’re basket-stamped and pretty nice,

Reminds of way back when.

Sometimes he wears his shotgun chaps,

At other times his chinks,

He got over long ago,

What everybody thinks.

It helped when he got older,

‘Cause now who gives a rip,

‘Bout some old cowboy’s clothing,

Or gives him any lip.

And you know it’s better,

To keep that wise mouth shut,

‘Cause he is just too old to fight,

He might just shoot you, but,

Then say that you were guilty,

Of elderly abuse,

I’m sayin’ for your own good,

That might be his excuse.

Leave him be and let him go,

He won’t do any harm,

He’s always been a cowboy,

There’s no need for alarm.

And what’s inside him where it counts,

You’ll find a man of faith,

Who loves his God and country,

And thankfully he’ll wait,

For God to show him what to do,

And sometimes what to say,

He tries to listen carefully,

And does it everyday.

And though his walk is stiffer,

Than it ever was before,

A horseback man he’ll always be,

And this is what’s in store,

One day he’ll end his circle,

And closer to that side,

He’ll trot in that direction,

To start his glory ride.

And all that he was thinkin’,

And all the prayers he prayed,

Will come true in a moment,

As the lights of this world fade.

But the greater light of heaven,

And the horses on that shore,

With Jesus will be waiting,

For the cowboy evermore.

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God- truly righteous and holy.” (Ephesians 4:22-24, NLT)

Paul speaks of putting off selfishness as if it is a garment we wear, and putting on our new spiritual identity. This is a great analogy. All of us have our external tastes in what we wear. There was a time when clothing was categorized. There were everyday garments, and then “Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes. These would be considered your “dressing up” clothes otherwise known as your “Sunday best.” Our culture has become much more informal, and pretty much anything goes fashion-wise. I will say that even cowboy fashion has changed an awful lot since I was a kid. But what Paul described matters most. Learning to put off the old life and put on the new life everyday is how God wants us to live.

Lord, help us to wear our new spiritual identity, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, used by permission. Thanks, Clark, and God bless you.