"The Day"

Got my foot in that old oxbow,

My hand is full of mane,

I stepped up in the saddle,

Like every day the same.

Reined around a little,

A circle and a bend,

A little side-pass back and forth,

And now the cattle tend.

There’s one sick steer to doctor,

Roped him, got it done,

Three out on a neighbor,

Hauled back to end their run.

Found the place they got out,

Pulled some new gaucho,

Fence will now hold cattle,

And off to lunch I go.

Crackers and some hoop cheese,

An apple sliced apart,

Load up and get going,

A project need to start.

Young horse needs attention,

Let’s pony him around,

Get him used to moving,

My voice cues and their sound.

One last chore ‘fore stopping,

Ride over, check the mares,

Soon they’ll all be foaling,

They need some loving care.

And now that old sun’s setting,

Old Strait unsaddled, fed,

And a steaming cup of coffee,

While getting mail all read.

This day has been a good one,

Nothing much went wrong,

Just threw one horseshoe early,

And one flat tire, not long.

Two loops to catch the sick steer,

And those three that had been out,

Gave me quite a horse race,

Thought they’d escape, no doubt.

And that durned gaucho bob wire,

Oo-wee that stuff does sting,

One little pull too many,

Can cut up everything.

I found one mare with cholic,

Forgot to mention that,

Vet came out and helped her.

The Good Lord’s blessing sat.

But I’ll say, Lord, I’m thankful,

For the job You gave to me,

So much of it is horseback,

And that’s where I feel free.

And thank You for this country,

The place that is so blessed,

With justice, peace, and freedom,

Pursuit of happiness.

But best of all salvation,

Forgiveness of my sin,

Through Jesus You have graced me,

And heaven in the end.

“And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts of God.” (Ecc. 3:13, NLT)

It is an honor to work. That’s not how many of us look at it. It’s more like a curse than a blessing. But, truth is, Adam and Eve were assigned work to do before the fall. Work was part of the Paradise they enjoyed. Maybe what work became was something less enjoyable. But if we are gifted with an opportunity to work and we learn to actually enjoy what we’re doing, it is a great blessing. We should work as if we are working for the Lord, not people. When we do, the Lord will reward and bless us. How much better would this world be if we all worked like that? Let’s try it, with God’s help.

Lord, teach us to glorify You in the way we work, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Kirstie Lambert, used by permission. Thanks, Kirstie, and God bless you.