When you're a little girl you learn, and embrace the idea that you don't, and won't ever need a man to save you. When you get a little older, you still believe in this fact, and that being independent and creating your own life is the best thing, but then you think about the man who might come along, that you wouldn't mind saving you. In some cases, this man might walk tall and be wearing a stetson and cowboy boots, maybe not always physically, but figuratively.
We all know the story, the handsome stranger comes into town, and happens to be exactly what the she's looking for. He sweeps her off her feet and she rides off into the sunset. Maybe we can blame the women in history during the time of covered wagons and saloons, or Marshal Dillon and Miss Kitty On "Gunsmoke". Or the fact that we listened to songs like "Cowboy Take Me Away" one too many times the radio. Whatever the reason, we love the idea of being swept up and riding off with the love of our life into our own personal sunset.
I think I can speak for a majority of us when I say that in our eyes, the image of a cowboy is something we imagine as the perfect man. They are the epitome of a souther gentlemen; a sweet-talker who loves Jesus and his mom. They are the ones who open the door for you, offer you their coat, and who genuinely care about your interests and feelings. They have a mysterious side too; one that keeps you wondering who they are, and where they've been. They are the ones who play for keeps.
As a millennial, we spend half of our time trying to explain to the adults in our lives how the dating world works. We find ourselves saying things that if you weren't part of this generation, could seem totally insignificant, such as the importance of the emoji's sent in a text message, or overthinking about why he hasn't responded. Only in this generation do we spend hours and hours analyzing and reanalyzing tiny words on a screen the size of a playing card. Only in this generation do we base the fate of a possible relationship on whether or not he messages you first. In a world where commitment is something that we find to be rare, and, in some cases nearly non-existent, we long for consistency. We want things to be as simple for us as they were for the women who came before our time. We wonder where the "cowboys" are, the ones we seem so programmed to find.
There is something magical in the fact that the concept of "cowboys and angels" exists. It shows us what we want, and keeps us striving for what we deserve. Once we find one, we want to hold onto them forever and never let them go. They are like wild horses, something we strive to have, but rely on God's perfect timing to be found. Cowboys, let us know them, and let us raise them.
