The Rodeo

The Rodeo

“…we walk by faith, not by sight.”  2 Corinthians 5:7

We went to the rodeo last weekend. I learned a lot there.

We sat on the front row where the kids would be safe from skinny bleachers with bouncy boards and long falls. The music was loud, the food overpriced, dirt was everywhere, the air pungent, and my granddaughters were the cutest cowgirls. The guys had big belt buckles and striking western shirts. The announcer circled on a horse and opened the show with a stirring patriotic speech and prayer in Jesus name. With a twang to his voice, he made fun of the clown and whipped up the crowd for responses. I can see it all right now.

There were amazing acts of showmanship and courage, but there would be no show without the supporting team. I noticed many white-hatted cowboys helping the bull riders. Some held the gate until he was ready; others held on to the cowboy as he slid on to the back of an uncooperative bull. One bull even tried to climb out of the stall. Very exciting! Do you ever wonder where you fit in to God’s purposes? Maybe it’s to rescue other cowboys; maybe it’s to ride the dangerous bull.

Rodeos are fun but the cowboys go home at the end of the night. There they make a living, tend to their horses, practice their skills, dream of another rodeo, and heal from their wounds. Stewardship of the actual life we’ve actually been given is a primary way we please God. One cowboy was introduced as a four-time world champion. Surely he missed the spotlight. But now he smiles as he rides around picking up cowboys who were thrown off bucking horses and bulls, high-fiving kids at the fence while he waits. William Zinsser said, “Writers [cowboys, parents, church members, factory workers, politicians] should write [live, work, and play]…from the muddy path filled with pilgrims and strangers not yet home.”

There are scary things in the arena of life. We were seven feet from the action. After the wild horses slammed against the fence in front of us several times, Shawna, age four, jumped into her mother’s arms and didn’t move for a long time. Sea World has a splash zone; we were in the dirt zone. We can’t nor should we avoid risky kingdom living. Jesus is with us all the way.

Bringing it home, cowboys and girls struggle with sin and sadness, too. Though immensely blessed, not everything goes perfectly in the arena between birth and heaven. So, we walk by faith, not sight. Jesus, the best teacher, said, “…in me you will have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.” The secret is to be “in me.” Cowboys expect to fall but they have The Audience of One to cheer them on.

We all would benefit from a dusty, noisy, smelly, invigorating Saturday night rodeo once in a while—don’t you think?

The Rhea Herald-News, May 27, 2015