The day started early.
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The day started early. The breeding season is over, time to gather the bulls and bring them home.
We split up in the pasture then met in the middle, no bull. Coming into the next pasture we split up, then gathered in the middle, no bulls. They had either sprouted wings or we felt we were going to find them in the third pasture. We split up, met in the middle – all three were there.
We had a choice to make. Be thankful they were all in one pasture making it shorter to trail them all at once, or be growly and upset about the fences they had knocked down to get to the “party pasture”.
In the next pasture, the cattle were not five feet from the gate. An hour later, we finally got the bull through the gate with three cow calf pairs and were on our way to trail them home. We had choices to make. Be thankful that we finally had found a combination of traveling companions to work or be growly for the huge amount of time that it took to make it happen.
As we loaded the next bull in the trailer, we hear a calf that is having trouble breathing. I finally lay eyes on him. His head is swelled to the point his eyes are slits, his breathing is labored, snake bite. We maneuver things around and load them in the trailer with the bull.
We had a choice to make. We could be upset that after many years of no snake bites we find one and it slows us down in our task for the day, or we can be thankful we picked this exact day and time to pull the bulls, and we have an easy place to load him. Another day with this calf would have meant possible death.
It didn’t end there, another snake bit calf was found and a bull decided he wasn’t going home. We had choices to make. Just as we do each and every day.
Every day it is up to us how to respond to our day. Plans change, speed bumps slow us down, and expectations are not met. We don’t ignore the inconvenience or the pain, but we all have a choice as to how we respond. Simply put we can hunt for diamonds or ignore them.
Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
