"Why"

Why can’t you just leave me alone,

He said it through his tears,

He bucked off hard and hit the ground,

Despite his youthful years.

The old cowboy could have said,

I tried to tell you so,

Declined and never said those words,

But he thought them, though.

He offered his old gnarly hand,

To pull the young man up,

He took it and just stood there,

Like some old sheepish pup.

They turned and watched the filly,

A-snortin’ down the way,

The kid looked at the oldster,

And then I heard him say.

I know you want to help me,

With your words and your advice,

But I almost had her rode,

And topped off neat and nice.

If I hadn’t lost my stirrup,

Why I’da done lots better,

You might of rode her different,

I don’t know how you’d set her.

The old man stood there smilin’,

His mind raced back to the past,

To when he used to start ‘em,

And make that first ride last.

And many were the times he fell,

And many bruised and sore,

He stepped back on and cowboyed up,

But the years had taught him more.

‘Bout taking more time with it,

And not being in a rush,

The ground work in the round pen,

And making your mouth hush.

And all this he thought about,

He smiled at that young kid,

And then I’ll swear I’m truthful,

When I tell you what he did.

Instead of giving counsel,

Or finding fault you know,

He said, son, you did a great job,

And, man, I loved the show.

Now let’s go get this filly,

And see what she will do,

Since looks like she won that round,

But we are not yet through.

So together both them worked her,

On the ground around she went,

And then he stepped back on her,

And, wow, that time they spent,

Looked like she took a notion,

To do just what they asked,

And never bucked a single time,

It happened pretty fast.

They took the saddle off her,

And then the halter, too,

Turned her loose and fed her,

Just like they always do.

And the young hand and the old one,

Said adios, then gone,

But I will tell you something,

And I know I’m not wrong.

That old man knew more than horses,

He knew ‘bout young men, too,

And when one’s sore and touchy,

He knew just what to do.

He stood right there with comfort,

And spoke some words so kind,

It gave me recollection,

Of another place and time.

When the Good Lord saw me hurtin’,

I said leave me alone,

But He just stood there smilin,

And pulled me up and home.

He could have said I told you so,

But nothing even close,

He simply gave encouragement,

When I needed it the most.

Why do you think He did it,

Well, I believe it’s true,

That all He really wants from us,

Is let His love pour through.

“So encourage each other and build each other up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NLT)

We know what’s wrong with everyone we know. The temptation is to not only see their faults but get stuck in a negative, critical perspective. With God’s help we should proactively do the opposite. When we see a need our first response should be to give encouragement. We all need it and we all know how good it feels to receive it. Find something good to say. Catch someone in the act of doing it right and praise them. I’m not talking about superficial, insincere flattery. I’m talking about genuinely trying to build people up by saying something that will help, not discourage them. People are afraid. They are struggling. They can be very obnoxious and hard to deal with. But the Lord never reacts to our sins. He responds to our needs.

Lord, help us encourage one another, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Grant Redden, grantredden.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Grant, and God bless you.