"Strays"

I stood up in my stirrups,

So I could better see,

Their flight deter, those strays, yessir,

Won’t get away from me.

Yonder in the distance,

Do you see ‘em, yes I do,

Way out there, without a care,

No panic yet ensue.

So I’ll just long trot this way,

We’ll do the best we can,

To slip around, without much sound,

And drive ‘em cross the land.

They’ve wandered far from everything,

I wonder where they’ve been,

This little bunch, I’ve got a hunch,

The same we saw back when,

We came this way last autumn,

And now spring’s almost here,

A few more weeks of wind-blown bleak,

We’ll be ridin’ without fear,

That this little herd of cattle,

Has gone away for good,

Just glad to be, the one to see,

And gather like we should.

Out here in the baldies,

Where the sage can grow so sweet,

You’ll see a cow, then lose somehow,

Just when you had her beat.

But not this bunch of cattle,

That we now approach,

We’ll head ‘em back, behind we’ll track,

And from this pasture coach.

And now we’ve got ‘em headed,

Back toward the water trap,

A few more miles, of sweat and smiles,

They’ll go right through our gap.

And, yes, I’ve got ‘em counted,

There’s nineteen head in all,

Eight young cows, two bulls somehow,

And nine calves born last fall.

It’s finally a pleasure,

When the last ones trot on through,

A good day’s work, we did not shirk,

The cow boss thought so, too.

I love this outside cowboy work,

I’ll ride as long as I can,

Just let me go, for strays some, so,

I’ll gather on old Dan.

And when my spurs are hangin’ there,

And all I’ve done is through,

We’ll spin a tale, of hill and dale,

What cowboys used to do.

“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6, NLT)

It’s an all-inclusive statement. All of us have strayed away from God’s paths. All means all, without exceptions. But it is when we’re willing to admit it and turn back to Him that we receive the benefit of His sacrifice. He even came looking for us in our lostness, in order that we may come home to everything that matters. He gathers us to Himself, forgives us and heals our wounds. He suffered and died to make it so, and was raised from the dead to secure us, both now and forever. This is the best news we could ever hear or share.

Lord, thank You for bringing us home when we strayed away from You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Robyn Cook, robyncookart.com. used by permission. Thanks, Robyn, and God bless you.