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A Rancher's Rumblings | |
| May 8, 2007 |
| WHERE AM I? |
It’s becoming clear that I have moved without knowing it. I live somewhere that it now rains every day. I can remember being in the mountains of New Mexico, when I was a teenager, where it showered every afternoon during my vacation, but I can’t find any mountains around here, so I don’t think I live in New Mexico.
I remember being in Hawaii for a week, where it rained every day, but I do not remember any mesquite trees or prickly pear there, so I must not be in Hawaii. And I drive around here a great deal and have yet to find any beaches.
Something, though, is definitely going on with the weather. Officially, we have had over 11 inches at the San Angelo airport (and much more at the ranch) this year, and our normal rainfall is 17.4 inches per year.
Besides that, my ego is hurting. I used to joke that the only thing alive that gave me unconditional love was my cows, who—whenever they see my pick-up—come running, wanting some feed. Now, when I drive in and start honking my horn, they either just keep lying down, all fat and sassy, or simply look up from eating green grass and weeds and stare at me. I am not needed anymore.
I used to be able to move them from pasture to pasture by honking the horn, and they would follow. I tried that Saturday morning; they just laughed at me. There is even better grass where I wanted to move them, but they did not care to find out why I wanted to move them. It wasn’t worth the effort.
(continued)
The cows have forgotten who brought them the cake and hay when it was so dry and there was no grass to eat. They have forgotten who took care of them during the cold winter.
So do I have a theological point? Maybe—you be the judge.
Sometimes when things are going well for us, we forget God. The Old Testament talks about this in several passages, for example, warning the children of Israel to not forget God when they get to the Promised Land that is filled with “wells you did not dig and vineyards you did not plant.”
It is easy to think that we are self-sufficient . . . lord of our own kingdoms. It is easy to believe that the hard times will never return to challenge us. It is easy to forget that our very existence depends on our loving Father and creator. It is easy to forget that all of life is a gift and that none of us is immune to heartbreak.
I am grateful for the rain we have had. My cows are so fat; Loretta asked me when one of my cows was going to calve, and I laughed and said that she had already done so 4 months before; that cow is just fat now!
It seems to me that it is always a good time to thank God for whatever condition our condition is in. Whatever our situation is, good times and bad, times of plenty or times of famine, He is sharing that time with us, partnering with us in not only His work in our own lives but using us to help with His work in others’ lives. It is that partnership that truly gives our lives meaning.