"Story"

I often sat in some far corner,

But not so far away,

That I could not hear the cowboys,

And what they had to say.

It was stories ‘bout good horses,

Ones so stout of chest and wind,

Bays and sorrels their color,

And always they’d begin,

With a question then a statement,

‘Bout that good one that they rode,

And I listened so intently,

Their words like seeds were sowed,

Into my way of thinking,

About work and play and fun,

And then they’d speak of cattle,

Mostly wild ones on the run.

When those Pascagoula cattle,

Or from Florida’s wet plain,

Found their way into the stories,

Told them time and time again.

And how they’d fight and beller,

And jump a six foot fence,

And how hard it was to catch ‘em,

I’ve remembered ever since.

And those same old cowboys,

Were the ones who said I could,

When my Dad finally let me,

They all knew I would.

Dive in there amongst ‘em,

Not scared of anything,

I was proud to ride ‘longside ‘em,

And my own stories bring.

The big steer they missed I caught him,

The horse that fell with me,

The time the whole place flooded,

And we lost a bunch you see.

And I still love a story,

And I still give an ear,

To old cowboys who will tell ‘em,

When I get the chance to hear.

But one story that I love the most,

The one I’ve always known,

‘Cause my mama told it to me,

After breakfast in our home.

And it’s the story of the Savior,

How He came to set us free,

Died and rose again to save,

It means the most to me.

I’m a cowboy with a story,

Not just about the past,

But about the Good Lord’s blessing,

That He gives me ‘cause I asked.

“For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13, NAS)

This verse contains a marvelous message. If we call on the name of the Lord He will save us! We come to know the story of God’s love and then experience it personally. No one is excluded who calls on His name. And no one can earn His favor. Our salvation is not a reward to doing enough good things to offset the bad. Our forgiveness is based on grace which is received by faith. In other words our part is to believe that it’s true and ask Him to do it. When we do He will give us life’s greatest miracle. We are born again.

Lord, help us call on You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.