If anything, the modern church can learn a lot from the life of cowboys, its in who we are and what we do. Once upon a time churches were pioneers, people willing and wanting to go into all the corners of the earth to spread the gospel.
They were willing to go into all kinds of ‘out their’ situations and people groups, but now are content on just going about life. If we ever want to see the lost found and come to Jesus, well we need to cowboy up and get to it. Weren’t we commanded by Christ to go out into the world/our towns and preach the full gospel?
Who we are and what we do
Cowboys and cowgirls are a different kind of people altogether. We do not quit; we do not know when to give up, and we are willing to do whatever it takes to do what needs doing. We push and push doing things that most people would not want to do, living a style of life that is not for everyone, one full of constant ups and downs.
Weighing up risk over reward; should we rodeo and put everything on the line? Should we stand out and be different in a world that forces people to be a certain thing or certain orientation.
If anything, the modern church needs to take a page from this way of life. So often there are problems that hold us back and distract us from fulfilling our commission; people tend to give up these days at the slightest sight of hard times or trouble. But living in today’s world, it is imperative that we cowboy up and keep on keeping on and being lights in an already darkened world.
Trail blazers
Way back when and even today, cowboys were and are trail blazers. This is in the sense of making a way where there was not one before. I mean this goes right back to the days of Jesus and the apostles. They originally made a way where there was none. If they could do it without all our modern-day technologies and everything at our disposal, then it should in a sense be a lot easier for us and there should not be anything realistically that prevents us from blazing trails right to the foot of the cross and into the Kingdom of God. Every time we wake up and step outside, we are presented with a new opportunity each day to set an example, to show the world we do not answer to their judgements, we do not hold to their ideals or morals but rather we answer to Christ and blaze ahead in His glory.
Cowboy up and get to it
Being a cowboy and living for Christ is who exactly I am meant to be, and it is important to maintain the vision each of us has been given by God. God has given us all a vision, a task, a purpose—whatever the heck you want to call it, it is something specific that He has given us individually that will further His glory and Kingdom. In the Word, God says those without vision perish—if we want to stand a chance in heck when it gets hard to hold on, we need to remember the vision given to us by the Lord.
Each cowboy has vison whether it is to have the perfect eight second ride or whether it’s just to ensure everything we do is well worth it. But doing this and living a life for Christ is a gift. The important thing for the church is to remember the vision that God has given us, remember the call and the commission he has placed on us and then cowboy up and get to it.
Ash lives in Kingaroy, Queensland. It’s here he works as a farm hand, bull rides and finishing his degree in teaching. Ash is a former young writer and has returned to the team.
