testimony
Cody Custer: A Cowboy's Tale
By Zsa Zsa Palagyi
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– In the words of Professional Bull Rider Cody Custer:
“I’ve been stepped on a few times. Bull riding obviously is the most dangerous event in rodeo, just because you’ve got an 1,800 to 2,000 pound bull; and if they step on you – you can’t keep the weight from being 1800 pounds.”
Most people wouldn’t choose to get within 100 feet of a raging bull. But nothing could stop former World Champion Pro Bull Rider Cody Custer from the thrill of getting on one!
“Everything in me wanted to be a bull rider when I grew up. That’s really all I wanted to do was rodeo. I was a little insecure about a lot of things, but when it comes to riding steers or bulls, I was a good as they get. So, my identity became riding bulls.”
And everything that went along with that lifestyle. There were lots of fights, lots of alcohol and marijuana. Cody followed the crowd. Then he met some cowboys who challenged him.
“They began to talk to me about a personal relationship with Jesus.”
Cody had gone to church as a child. But when he lost his brother and sister in a car accident, he shut God out of his life.
“The problem is, I didn’t know God. Really, down deep inside I was searching for something, but at the same time I was balking at it because I didn’t really want to have to fess up.”
Ultimately, Cody’s conscience caught up with him.
“A couple of months of those guys sharing with me, and sharing out of God’s word and just showing me unconditional love; that’s really the place where I decided that I was going to come into a relationship with Jesus. It took a few years for the Lord to really move me to that place where my relationship became less about me and more about Him.”
First, he turned to the Bible.
“Every single sentence had something to do with me. And I started understanding that it wasn’t just a generic thing, it was a personal thing. My relationship went to a new level. I got in church, I got submitted to a pastor in church, and I was there on a consistent basis.”
And, he made a few good Christian friends.
“I believe that we, we as men, we can easily just be our own man and we can kind of lone wolf it -- or we think we can. We really need people we can be accountable to.”
Cody Custer retired from professional bull riding at 38. Today he works with pro bull riding outreach. And he’s changed his priority from being a pro bull rider to being a pro husband and a pro dad.
“As humans we try to have it our way. But I’m telling you from experience that God will be faithful to speak into your life and to show you who you are and why He created you. If you start seeking Him, you’re going to find Him.”
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