"Pascagoula Cows"

Yonder, over yonder,

How far, was all I thought,

We were out there chasin’ cattle,

My old Daddy had just bought.

A herd from Pascagoula,

As wild as any deer,

No way Dad could have known it,

Before they hauled ‘em here.

They were big and gray and brahmer,

And one and all had horns,

They weren’t scared of the devil,

And there were no forewarns,

That this crazy bunch of cattle,

Would act the way they did,

I can still remember,

Though I was just a kid.

They’d never seen a fence before,

Least that’s the way it seemed,

They’d hit it on a full tilt run,

Though our pens were heavy beamed.

And if they could not run through it,

They always tried to jump,

Sometimes they flipped right over,

Landing on their back and rump.

They’d come up all a-snortin’,

A pawin’ at the ground,

Slobbering on one end,

And green when they turned around.

They’d fight you in a minute,

Whether horseback or on foot,

And you’d best be extra careful,

And quick to not stay put.

When they came a-chargin’,

And bellering and all,

You knew they’re out to get you,

There was no bluff or stall.

And thankful for the day that came,

When they were loaded up and sold,

Decades passed, I asked my Dad,

If that whole story had been told.

‘Bout how wild those cattle were,

That Pascagoula bunch,

He said the old man talked to him,

At the stockyard over lunch.

Daddy said the old man smiled,

When Dad wrote him the check,

Leaned forward in his cane back chair,

Wiped the sweat off of his neck.

Said mister, they are good ones,

But I have to tell you true,

Those cows are on the wild side,

So be careful what you do.

Course Dad was in a hurry,

And always on the go,

Didn’t think much of the warning,

We’d handled cows you know.

Dad said as crazy as they were,

And the trouble that they gave,

They still were money makers,

He swore it to the grave.

But let me tell you something,

‘Bout a Pascagoula cow,

Don’t care how good the deal is,

Find a way to pass somehow.

“They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that…” (2 Timothy 3:5, NLT)

Most of the biblical counsel regarding people is to love them and go try to reach them for Christ. But Paul gives Timothy some startling advice about some folks, and that’s to stay away from them. Who are they? They are religious pretenders who deny God’s power. Why would Paul say to stay away? In all likelihood it is because these people were not safe. In other words, to expose oneself to them was spiritually dangerous, just like those ferocious cattle from Pascagoula. The best thing is to set a boundary and keep it. Some we have to love and pray for from a distance.

Lord, help us recognize the ones we are called to reach and those we need to withdraw from, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Anton, billantonstudio.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bill, and God bless you.