Growing Up In The Old West

2 Pages 471 Words

U.S. History
2-1-03

Growing Up as a Christian in the Old West

Growing up in the late 1800’s was not an easy task for anyone, but it was especially hard for a Christian. The lifestyle that I was forced to endure was one that I would not wish upon anyone. The lifestyle that is glamorized in movies today was one that was rugged with little to no drama.
When I was a young child it was tough to be out in the West because of the lack of companionship. My best friend was my horse. My horse was what I saw more than anything. I was very lucky that I was skilled on a horse because that gave me the opportunity to train as a cowboy at a young age. I took part in my first herding when I was just seven years old. Not long after that my father led me to Christ. That was when my life began to change.
After I became a Christian I began to notice the flaws in the people that I worked with. I was more conscientious of the influences in my life. Since I was forced to work with those people I did not have the option of walking away, so I was put through a lot of trials while working with the herds.
Another tough thing to deal with was that I could hardly ever go to church. I was either working with the cattle or moving herds most of the time. Since my dad was a Christian as well we were able to set aside times when we could talk to each other. This was probably what kept me up in my faith because that little bit of encouragement was just about all I received. I do not know what I would have done if it wasn’t for my father.
One thing that I was thankful for about the way I was raised was that it taught me that you could be a witness for Christ in any situation. I rarely ever had the chance to let my friends be led to Christ by a preacher so I had to be prepared to do that. That was something that I did not take lightly. I was always trying to be a good example around my fellow cowboys. I know that I was...