"Shaper"

 You’ll see ‘em at the cowboy store,

A sprayin’ ‘em with steam,

With heat to shape the cowboy hat,

And sometimes they seem,

Effortless in what they do,

Guess ‘cause in their hands,

The practice of just how to press,

The shape the owner plans.

Whatever crown that you may pick,

Old-style or something new,

Whatever crease, the brim to dip,

There’s nothing they can’t do.

What if the straw or felt you chose,

Tried to shape itself,

Argued with the style you picked,

You’d leave it on the shelf.

I find right there a lesson,

‘Bout how the Lord shapes men,

Using heat He forms the style,

That He has planned and then,

Says now go and be the man,

I’m shaping you to be,

And if we will cooperate,

We’ll get it right, you see.

Don’t argue with the Shaper,

He owns the hat and you,

He wants to get you off the shelf,

And out there living true.

“But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness…” (Hebrews 12:10, NLT)

God disciplines those He loves. He is shaping our lives to become more and more like Jesus. His discipline, though sometimes painful, is never unfair. I bought a hat from a custom hatter at a cowboy church-based ranch rodeo in Tatum, Texas. Actually Stacy picked it out. It was already shaped but I worked on it some more when we got home. Later I happened to be wearing the hat when we met Buck Taylor at Silver Dollar City in MIssouri. We bought some of his art, and on the back of one of them he wrote, “Keep the hat!”, and then signed his name. The point is that when the shape is right, it will make the right impression. When God shapes us, the impression will point people to Jesus.

Lord, shape our lives, in Jesus’ name.

Personal photo, Red Steagall Wagon Train, Ft. Worth Stockyard District, October, 2022.