"Ranch Folk"

Have y’all seen that young man,

Lately haven’t seen him ‘round,

You know that kid’s a top hand,

I heard they moved to town.

Sure hate it said the old man,

Whose years were saddle-worn,

I’ve always been a big fan,

Ever since that boy was born.

Yeah, they had to sell the home ranch,

Last years were just too dry,

Too bad it was their last chance,

With cattle prices high.

That kid works at the stockyard,

His Dad, he works there, too,

Guess when times got this hard,

It’s the best that they could do.

They rent old man Welch’s place,

Down near the grocery store,

There you’ll see his mama’s face,

She’s part-time there and more.

So many workin’ families,

Who’ve fallen on hard times,

Struggling ways nobody sees,

And counting every dime.

We pray for all the cowmen,

Their wives and families, too,

Lift them up with their kin,

And show them what to do.

Help us, Lord, and show the way,

To the workin’ country folk,

Help us trust You day to day,

And accept Your easy yoke.

I saw those folks the other day,

In church they gave their praise,

Praise the Lord I heard them say,

As hearts and hands they raised.

I thought their faith is still intact,

‘Cause that’s just who they are,

In spite of all, this is a fact,

For me they’ve raised the bar.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29, NAS)

Jesus invites the exhausted to come to Him for rest. But there is an exchange involved. We come with the burdens that overwhelm us and give them over to the Lord. He relieves the burden and replaces it with His burden and His yoke. The difference is that when He is in control we receive His peace and strength. His yoke is easy compared to the yoke of addiction and all the other obsessions caused by selfish living. The great cure for egotism is to let it die. But in dying to self we learn to live.

Lord, teach us to lay our burdens down and accept Your easy yoke, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Shawn Cameron, used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.