At 3:30 in the morning my husband slipped into bed after a long night. For hours, he and Austin had been trying to convince a young heifer that the calf inside of her was not coming out without help. After hiding in the woods for most of the night, finally, she stepped into the pen, and the two of them went to work. Austin learned from the best, and under the watchful eye of his father (with plenty of commentary I am sure), was able to feel that both of the calves front feet were folded back underneath him, making delivery impossible. He was able to push the calf back in enough to unfold both feet, and then pull the calf out. Although he was alive, the odds were stacked against him, as he had been in the birth canal for way too long.
I got to know this little red bull calf pretty well, since I spent the entire day with him. Heating pads, medications, warm colostrum, vitamins, body rubs, physical therapy, and lots of TLC were on the agenda for our day together. I had high hopes for this pretty boy, but I knew better than to name him, as it seems to hurt more if you lose them when they have a name. An all too familiar sinking feeling crept over me as I realized that there was something odd about his coordination (or should I say lack of coordination). That sinking feeling turned to sorrow, when later in the day, his body temperature started dropping although it was 80 degrees outside. I knew that this was a terminal sign, but I thanked God that he seemed content and was not in any pain. I stepped away for a few minutes, and when I returned my pretty red bull calf, had slipped away. With tears in my eyes, I stroked him one last time, and covered him up.
As I paused in a moment of sadness, I wondered, “Why do I do this”? Why do I spend extra time (that I don’t have much of), on these “lost causes”? Then the answer came with amazing clarity:
I do it because THIS is who God made me. A bad outcome (or two, or three, or a thousand), does not change who God created us to be.
YES! it is easy to get discouraged when life does not turn out the way we think it should. It is heartbreaking to pray for life, only to experience death. Or to pray for rain, only to experience drought, but still, we must persevere and remember that like Esther, God put us here for such a time as this.
So, when the doctor calls with bad news, or your favorite candidate doesn’t win, or your tire goes flat, or your pretty red bull calf dies, remember:
Life is not always easy, but GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!
So as we travel the difficult paths of life, remember the words of Paul to those brethern in Thessalonica:
2Thessalonians 3:13
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.
