"Twelve Head"

We came to that old pasture,

Where sun and legends meet,

And knew that when we got there,

There could be no retreat.

Rumor there were old steers,

That always got away,

Some aged six or seven,

A thousand pounds they’d weigh.

But how many were there,

These bachelors of the plains,

And who were we to chase ‘em,

And make our cowboy claim.

Well, don’t overthink it,

It was about the cash,

There was a “C” note promised,

We thought we’d make a dash.

And as to the number,

We thought we might get rich,

If we could catch a dozen,

Come out without a hitch.

We camped out at a catch pen,

Of rock and cedar poles,

It had a workin’ windmill,

We threw down our bedrolls.

And early the next mornin’,

We saw a few come in,

Guess they liked the water,

We threw the gate and then,

Three big steers were millin,’

We thought, by god, with ease,

And that’s three hundred dollars,

As quickly as you please.

Next we roped us seven,

So now we’re up to ten,

We’re thinkin’ we were top hands,

Maybe we were back then.

So what if there are ten more,

Or even more than that,

And if by gosh we catch ‘em,

We’ll need a bigger hat.

So one more circle ridden,

And two more big steers caught,

And now our stone and cedar,

Has an even dozen fought.

So let’s us not get greedy,

But take these on to town,

Better go with what you got,

Than wait and fool around.

And now it’s time to drive ‘em,

Across the rangeland home,

And we are countin’ money,

And no doubt spendin’ some.

When those twelve steers they boogered,

Each one a different way,

Pi-ied in all directions,

And they got gone that day.

What’s that I hear you sayin’,

You’d do a better job?

And take that “C” note with you,

Like corn off of the cob.

But I will tell you brother,

You might can see it through,

But best not count your money,

Till you see what you can do.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…” (1 Peter 5:5, NLT)

Humility is the grace trigger. God promises He will always resist pride and always grace humility. In a way, resisting our pride is a form of grace, too. If not ,God would just let us go in our arrogance. Instead, He proactively resists us. The point of His resistance is to show us our need for Him. When we turn to Him in humility it positions us to receive God’s highest and best. Fierce humility brings abundant grace. And grace is exactly what we need. But what is humility exactly? It’s not beating ourselves up or living our lives as an apology. It’s simply seeing ourselves accurately, as God sees us.

Lord, help us walk humbly and receive Your grace, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, shawncameron.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.