"There They Went"

There they went, there they go,

And, brother, they ain’t travelin’ slow,

Cowboys in pursuit, you know,

It’s just the way it is.

Chasin’ through the open ground,

And keeping on with trees around,

Dogs are yipping, hear the sound,

A cowboy lives for this.

He wouldn’t rather toll ‘em in,

Or with an ATV attend,

But rather just the way it’s been,

When only yesterday,

There were no fences way out there,

And if they need to move somewhere,

The thing to do with utmost care,

Was not let ‘em get away.

And wild they were, and still will be,

But not like cowboys on TV,

But something that you rarely see,

The work of hand and horse.

Not every day there is a chase,

‘Cause sometimes with a slower pace,

But always ready for a race,

That’s cowboy time, of course.

“Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do…” (1 Peter 4:4, NLT)

Just as cowboys chase wild cattle, people seem to be chasing after many things. Peter wrote that our former friends will be surprised when we no longer chase the things we used to pursue. Because of Jesus we are different. We don’t want to do the same things, and they are shocked. This does not mean that we are unloving toward them or judge their behavior. It’s just we don’t go there anymore because we now belong to Jesus. We are chasing the things of the Kingdom of God now, and are praying against distractions. We used to tell those in recovery, there will always be someone to help you justify the wrong behavior. We must learn to limit and/or offset that influence. No matter who reacts negatively, keep on chasing God’s will.

Lord, help us chase Your will in our lives, no matter what, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mike Capron, used by permission. Thanks, Mike, and God bless you.