"Partner"

Velvet nose and wistful eye,

What you ask of him he’ll try,

A partner for your ride or die,

You whistle, he is near.

And off you go in that long trot,

And, yes, he’ll give you all he’s got,

An equine cowboy, plus a lot,

It’s based on trust, not fear.

The bond is built through endless miles,

Of time together and the trials,

Of hard places and the smiles,

Wet blankets, nothing less.

But through it all you get it done,

Tendin’ cows in rain or sun,

Mean old work and lots of fun,

You have each other’s yes.

And I would rather horseback be,

Than at a desk inside you see,

The romance is not gone for me,

Let’s saddle up again.

To ride a trail, maybe it’s new,

To search for cows, our job to do,

A saddle bond, so real and true,

That pony is my friend.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:2-5, NIV)

The spiritual blessings of the Lord are wonderful! He forgives, heals, redeems, and crowns! Thank God for the benefits that come with salvation. But we also remember that the Lord satisfies our desires with good things. These are the everyday, earthly blessings like good food, good times and good horses. Being thankful means that we never take the blessings for granted and always give God the glory for them. It also means we hold them with an open hand so that we may steward them well. What we own, owns us. What we steward, while fully recognizing His ownership, frees us to enjoy everything.

Lord, teach us to forget not all Your benefits, in Jesus’ name.

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