"Texas Dirt"

Out where the silent deer slip by,

Through shadows at midday,

And of an evening stop to graze,

At early morn they play.

The cry of hawk upon the wing,

The noisy crows give chase,

The hoot owl sings a mournful call,

The eagle finds his place.

The longhorn cattle graze nearby,

The horses are content,

The chickens roost at sundown,

And wonder where it went.

And all this near the river’s edge,

The Brazos River’s stream,

And in its bend we work and live,

It is a cowboy’s dream.

Through summer’s heat and winter’s ice,

We thrive as those before,

The Running Mc is our brand,

And Texas to the core.

And all we ask is time and peace,

To celebrate God’s grace,

The thankfulness each day we feel,

To live here in this place.

And heaven’s our eternal home,

But till our days are through,

Lord, we’ll take care of Texas dirt,

And promise to be true.

“Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9, NAS)

We love where we live and feel blessed to own this little corner of Texas! But ultimately our home in heaven. Paul says we walk by faith and not by sight, and because of this we take courage and never give up. God helps us to have an eternal perspective, and to please Him whether we live or die. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That’s what happens when our earthly days are over. Till then the Holy Spirit is the down payment for the eternity to come. His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Lord, help us celebrate today’s blessing while looking eagerly forward to our eternal home, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cow, used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.