cowgirl don't cry
- Breanna Chavez
- Aug 10
- 3 min read
Howdy! Saddle up, because today I’m telling you the story of how God used an Ella Langley song to heal a little of my hurting heart + show me that He sees me.
Let me set you the scene: I was all but 22, I think at the time.
Just kidding, I remember exactly when it was. Two days after I turned 22, I came across a really cute guy’s Instagram page. According to his profile, his best friends are twin brothers (so he is accustomed to the whole twin dynamic), he has the same job title as my dad, and he is a Christian. What more could a girl ask for?
We have a mutual friend, so I reached out to her. She assured me that he is single and a good guy. Idk if it was the birthday courage or what, but some kind of confidence came over me, and I decided to DM him a line from one of Ella Langley’s songs. You know, the one that starts out: “I was all but 22, I think at the time.” 💀
Yep… I can’t believe I did this, nor can I believe I’m admitting it, but I did, in fact, DM him the following: “excuse me, you look like you love me.”
Don’t worry, I made sure to send a follow-up message explaining that I had just turned 22 and had decided to take a page from Ella Langley’s book.
Thank goodness this guy was a trooper and went right along with my cringy pickup line. We bonded over our love of Hudson Westbrook and Morgan Wallen. This guy even went to a Tate McRae concert (kinda a red flag looking back LOL).
Long story short- this guy lives in a different state & said the distance was too much. This was probably just his nice way of saying he didn’t like me that much.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.(Psalm 16:6)
After this little situationship ended, I was very sad. One night, my mom, sister, and I were all sitting in the living room. My mom was doing my nails, and I was yapping about this guy. Bailee, trying to make me feel better, said, “Cowgirls don’t cry.”
“I think that’s an Ella Langley song,” I said. I pulled up Spotify and sure enough- it is. As I looked at the lyrics, I couldn’t believe it. The second line read:
“Knew it wasn't right, but it didn't feel wrong. When you're 22, who cares anyway?”
I couldn’t believe the song also mentioned being 22. It was a full-circle God wink moment. Year 22 was evidently an eventful year for Ella. More of the song reads:
Used to wear a halo 'Til he walked out and broke it in two So she picked up herself Tough as pink nails What else a girl gonna do?
Selena Gomez said it best in her song Boyfriend:
It’s not what I need, but I want a boyfriend But I just keep hitting dead ends Try to take a shortcut But I get cut again and again
Though it’s not always fun, I am so glad that God hasn’t given me what I want; instead, he continues to give me what I need. As I look back on the last year or so of me “putting myself out there”, He has without a doubt protected my heart despite my eagerness to give it away.
Somehow, I still have hope that I’ll meet my cowboy one day. Que Megan Moroney’s song All I Want for Christmas is a Cowboy.
Fun fact: the boots that I am wearing in this picture were a reward for winning the John Justin Standard of the West Award my senior year of high school. Megan Moroney was in the same magazine!
Cowboys can be mean, but please don’t let them make you cry.
God can use anything-even an Ella Langley song- to remind you that He sees you. He has never left you, and He will keep pursuing you all the days of your life. If you’re struggling to believe this, open your Bible, go to church, and meditate on scripture. I promise this will help heal your hurting heart. Maybe read my heartbreak handbook too ;)
Oh, and go listen to Ella’s song cowboy friends. You’ll definitely laugh.
Love, Breanna Chavez
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