Daily Guideposts - 20 Day SampleSample

The Cowgirl

Ten hours into my day, I was on the tractor, raking grass hay in one of the fields on our family cattle ranch. To stay awake until it was finished, I threw back my head and sang, “Piove sull’oceano, piove sull’oceano, piove sulla mia identit `a . . .”
To the casual observer, I am a cowgirl through and through, from my Wrangler jeans to my Resistol hat. It could be assumed that I work with cattle, ride horses and spend a great deal of time outdoors.

But on the inside, I’m way more complex than that.

I occasionally read Westerns, but more often I can be found deep in the pages of Jane Austen, Robert Louis Stevenson or even the Baroness Orczy. I like country music, but I also listen to rock, oldies and Celtic—depending on my mood. My favorite song is “Oceano,” an Italian ballad sung by Josh Groban.

The thing is, I like to observe people when I’m in town. I make a game of guessing who they are, strictly by their appearance.

Business suit: banker or lawyer, probably listens to classical music and NPR.
Truck driver: definitely classic country, sports fan, never listens to the news.
But just as I can’t be taken at face value, I’m sure I’m pegging them wrong too. Perhaps this is why God instructed us not to judge our neighbors. Jumping to conclusions is easy when we can plainly see people’s facades, but only God can truly know their innermost hearts.

“ ´E per l’amore che ti do, ´E per l’amore che non sai . . . ,” I belt out merrily at the top of my lungs over the rumble of the tractor. No one would guess I don’t understand a word of Italian!

Dear Lord, You know our hearts. You alone can truly judge us. Please don’t let me judge others.

—Erika Bentsen
Digging Deeper: 1 Sam. 16:7; Matt. 22:36–40; Luke 6:31–36