Hittin' the Trail

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8 ESV). Having lived in Parker County, Texas, for many years, I came to learn and enjoy some of the local history of the area. Being just a little west of Ft. Worth, Texas, we had been called the gateway to the West. There is good reason to have taken that designation. There have been many movies made over the years that focused on the men and women who made the trek west with their cattle. One of those trails taken to market was the Goodnight-Loving Trail, which started near Weatherford. It ran from Young County, Texas, southwest to Horsehead Crossing on the Pecos River, up the Pecos to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and on north to Colorado. In the spring and early summer of 1866 Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving drove their first herd of longhorn cattle over the Butterfield Overland Mail route from near Fort Belknap via the Middle Concho River and Castle Gap, to Horsehead, which is on some old maps as Dead Horse Crossing. Leaving the former mail route there, they worked up the Pecos, crossing it occasionally, as the terrain and watering places required. They drove a second herd, bought from John S. Chisum, from his Concho River range to Fort Sumner later that same summer. Today you can visit some of those sites and almost see the cattle as they moved their way to market. It is easy to imagine the cattle, the drovers, and the wagons, the sounds and sights of the drive! Looking off to the horizon you can follow the groove cut into the ground by the hooves of the cattle and the wagon wheels as they followed the herd. No wonder that surveyors later would use those very trails as the basis for railroads and highways! They were so plainly set in earth as to be unmistakable. The same is true of the trails in our mind. If you think about something long enough it will develop a “rut.” That can be a very positive thing in our lives. Paul instructs us to make those ruts in our mind. Thinking on the good things of life brings us to peace and happiness. Just like that early trail drives; our thoughts cannot be sporadic or momentary. Those early cowboys signed on to ride to the end of the trail. It was constant until they reached their destination. There were days of good weather and days of storm, but they stayed on the trail. We need to fill our minds with those good thoughts every moment of the day. These are the lovely things of promise that are found in the Scripture. They are the beautiful things that God has revealed to us through His creation. They are the affirmations that have come to us through the kindness and grace of others God has allowed to come into our lives to encourage and help us. These are the trails that take us to peace. What trails have you run through you mind? If they aren’t leading to happiness, get on another trail today!