It was a bright and beautiful Spring day. The bees were working the early blossoms of the Forsythia tree and a rooster crowed in the court yard.. I lazily sipped my coffee and then headed out to attend morning chores....
Alright, that is a lie.... a big fat lie.. not that I haven't had farm mornings like that..... oh, wait.... yeah...no, I have never had a farm morning like that.
Truth is.. it is 37* out there right now, the wind is whipping and it is trying to snow big, wet flakes.
And my cow... my cow decides she is going to see if her big head will fit in the fork of a tree...
Turns out, yes indeed, it'll fit. Removing it, however, will prove a different matter entirely...
I had seen her in the distance, standing alone. I thought "Finally! We are going to have babies start hitting the ground."
No. Such. Luck.
Oh well, getting her unstuck will be a simple matter.. I just need to build a ramp on the back side for her to stand on until her head is high enough to come out the wider part of the fork..
Easier said than done.
I began gathering logs and rocks and placing them in front of her feet. But, she can't see her feet and can't see what I am doing so while placing logs, I am also dodging kicks and trying not to get smashed as she attempts to blindly defend herself..
After I have the ramp high enough I push her onto it and all that is left is for her to lift her head and back out. Except... for whatever freak of nature reason, when cows back up they put their head down and when she puts hers down it is too low in the V and we are back to square one. I run around to the front and lift her head up, startled that I am shoving on her, she panics and steps sideways off the ramp. I make the ramp bigger.. but it's no good... this scenario repeats it's self more times than I want to tell you about.
we have a heart to heart....
we have a come to Jesus meeting.....
I even tell her how much I love rib-eye...
I note (very sternly) there is an auction this Saturday....
nothin' doing...
It doesn't take long wrestling with an 800 lb animal before your body is exhausted.. I gently scratch her big old ears and rest my head against hers... "Girl, if you would just stand still.. stand still and I will help you. I cannot help you unless you stand there and let me."
It's no use she's too scared... it is a two person job and my girls are not allowed in the same pasture as the bull... especially when we are messing with a cow.
I call Shane, and he sends Andrew.
The extra pair of hands is all that was needed. I push her forward and hold her on the ramp and Andy pushes her head up and back. After three tries her head busts free. She runs as fast as she can to the herd for protection and comfort.
God's creation has always taught me my best lessons. I wonder today, how many times have I wearied the Lord? Oh, I know, He doesn't get physically tired but how many times have I tore into a problem in complete panic, like my hair was on fire, and all I needed to do was stand still?
I'm a mom, our job is to fix things. right? Wrong.
My job is to pray.... listen....
When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto battle, that the Priest shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies:
let not your hearts faint,
fear not,
and do not tremble,
neither be ye terrified because of them;
For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. Deut 20
Did He bring you out of Egypt? Has He saved your soul? If we can trust Him with our salvation... why is it so hard to trust Him in the little things too? Can we hear our High Priest? Or are we too busy shouting our own directions? And lastly, God goes with us but He does not fight with us... He fights for us... without us..... He is the one who does the fighting and guess what? He wins. He already won 2,000 years ago. The only thing left is the mop up. What a small god we must imagine if we think he needs help from us...
So today, I resolve
to pray.
to listen.
to stand still.
especially in the storm.
especially when I cannot see.
