"Trying"

I was trying to be a cowboy,

Lord knows that I tried,

But sometimes when I roped and missed,

I’d want to run and hide.

Most times I kept my mouth shut,

But then sometimes I’d talk,

I guess I would forget myself,

‘Cause my thoughts would sometimes balk.

And then I felt so stupid,

Around all those top hands,

The less I said the better,

While riding those grasslands.

I tried not to be in the way,

When we gathered those bovine,

And always watched and listened,

And tried to be on time.

I never rode ahead of,

Our cow boss as a rule,

Unless he sent me forward,

If he did it was cool.

I showed the cowboys full respect,

I tried to learn from them,

Embarrassed by the jokes they told,

They often dropped a gem.

And so you see I am surprised,

By the way some act,

Though they are young and don’t know much,

They don’t let that fact,

Keep them from always saying,

How great they think they are,

With the cowboy thing they do,

Just beats all by far.

Guess I am too old school,

Observing those old ways,

Of walking in humility,

In those early days.

I find therein a lesson,

God says He’ll resist,

Those who display arrogance,

And by their pride they miss,

The grace that comes from learning

From mentors for the brand,

Much less when we’re directed,

By the Good Lord’s hand.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…” (James 4:6, NLT)

It’s a blessing to be resisted by God. If He didn’t resist our pride we would be doomed by our own arrogance. But He loves us too much to let us go, and therefore resists our selfishness in an effort to turn us back to Himself. His resistance is a form of grace that goes before our cooperation. Then when His resistance helps us turn to Him, He releases even more grace to help and heal us. Our humility, which is simply seeing ourselves accurately as God sees us, triggers greater grace. And that greater grace is exactly what we all need.

Lord, thanks for resisting our pride. We humbly ask for Your grace, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jack Sorenson, jacksorensonfineart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Jack, and God bless you.