with Allen Bach and Clay O'brien Cooper
as told to JD Malone
January 2006
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14
Focusing on a new Year!
Clay: For the past few days I have had Mathew 6:33 on my mind. “Seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”NIV
With the year coming to a close for all of us ropers across the country and with next year rolling around and planning for a new year it is important for me to remind myself in the plans that I make and the goals that I set for my family and myself to keep that scripture in my life. If I implement that scripture in my life, I know that all of the things that God wants to do for me and my family or even the people that I have relationships with, that all of the things that God wants to provide will be accomplished if I do my part and seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then God’s plan has the opportunity at that point to happen.
Allen: Absolutely Clay! Our new world champs are a perfect example of that very thing! It was awesome to see Clay and Patrick win the World! They started off the year with that goal and were committed and focused on reaching that goal. That is a great thing because God put that in their hearts. It is really special to me because they have gotten to be a special part of my life! I got to take Clay to some Bible studies when I lived in Arizona and helped him with his roping a couple months in the winter. And the greatest thing for me was baptizing him in the ditch bank at my place five or six years ago! I also got to be a part of Patrick’s life. He came to me out of nowhere and come into my life when he hadn’t been roping long! He started hanging out with me and there was just something about his spirit, I took to him like a little brother. Watching their hearts grow and watching them change over the past few years has just been a blessing to me. Seeing them get together, which was entirely the Lord’s doing, then seeing them seek first the Kingdom of God has been amazing! I watched them make decisions that pleased God. You know hindsight is 20/20! I’m sure not many people would honestly say “ Yeah we could see God doing these things through these two young guys.” But I actually did get to see it! They each had major set backs in their life with partners and things that happened to them and they just kept their course. They kept making Godly choices. You could see them saying they wanted God’s way and putting that above their roping. They are proof that you can seek first the Kingdom of God!
Clay: Allen is right! The guys that won the championship this year were probably more focused than anyone all year long. When you set out to do something it takes a concentrated effort and focus and the ones that do that come out on top. The top two teams last year were Clay and Patrick and Jake and Kory Even before going into the finals, I think everyone could see that they were the most focused teams. They won every thing at the ropings and the rodeos. I think that if we carry that over into our spiritual lives that is what that scripture is telling us. Seek first God and the Kingdom of God. Seek to do things as well as we can possibly do them. If we can do this then spiritually it will bring us success. That is one thing I have found in my walk with God. As my spiritual life goes so goes the rest of my life.
Allen: Clay’s right. Watching them all this year you could see God’s anointing and favor with them. Then to see them on TV they were so full of appreciation of God and wanting to lift God up it just come across so plain. That is what we need out here, we need people seeking first the Kingdom of God and then all these other things. It really takes a pure heart to do that! God knows our heart and God knows if we are just working Him for our benefit. I’m sure that each one of those guys had to go through a heart building process. God helps us with that heart building but a lot of that is taking inventory of our own hearts!
Clay: Taking inventory is key! All of the aspects of my life begins spiritually. How my relationship is with God and What I’m focusing on. That comes down to just a daily thing getting up and giving God time. We have to communicate with Him and meditate on Him. I have to read His word or a devotional to get a theme. This gets my ears open and my spiritual antenna up so I can be looking for His guidance as I go throughout each day. Then I see God at work. But when I get up and my attention is on other things and I don’t give God time and I’m not seeking first God and His kingdom, it doesn’t take but a day or two of that until I can just feel that things are different. It all kind of goes hand in hand. That focus and attention and time and effort is going to bring success whether it is our roping, jobs or our business. When we allow God to operate in our lives and families and in the things that we do we find that He can take care of the whole thing!
Allen: When it is all said and done and you have accomplished what you think is a lot whether it is making a lot of money or winning all kinds of saddles or buckles, then you look back and realize that there wasn’t much significance in what you have done, it is an empty feeling! What I’m trying to say is your accomplishments wasn’t about pleasing God but just getting everything you could get. I had a friend that won the World Championship actually take his buckle off and stick it in my face and say “Is this all there is to this? I have lost my wife and kid and I have lost my partner. I have given everything for this and this is all I have!” Three months after he won the World he already had a big empty hole in him because it wasn’t what he thought it was supposed to be! When we seek God first then our accomplishments or blessings become the fruits of God. You will not get any better feeling than knowing you have taken something God has given you and you have used it to Glorify Him! Every year people make New Year resolutions. They focus on things they want when all they have to do is seek God first and let Him provide what He wants for them! What will your New Year resolution be?