It used to be one of my least favorite days of the year. At one time it struck fear in my heart, and even thinking about it had the potential to make me nauseous. Preg checking day, the day that every cow is run through the chute to see if she gets to be a part of our herd another year. You don’t get to stay around if you aren’t earning your keep, and this is the day that their fate is decided.
As I stand at the front of the chute with my trusty clip board, I lean in close to hear the vet give the verdict. There are two options, she is either bred or she is open. It is music to my ears when I hear the words, “she’s good”, or “bred”, the moment is short lived as things move quickly and the next cow is in the chute right on her tail. When I hear the word “open”, my heart used to drop and I would give the vet the evil eye as if to say, “Are you kidding me! Look at this beautiful cow, she can’t possibly be open!” It didn’t take me long to learn that being bred had nothing to do with being a beautiful cow, it is just the way it is.
My heart still skips a beat at the “open” call, but my attitude over the years has had a drastic change. If you looked closely in years past as to why I was so upset, it really boiled down to lack of trust. In my heart I was saying, “God we needed that cow, do you realize God what it takes to make a living these days! We need our numbers. I don’t think you understand.” But He did, and He does.
Several times at the end of a winter we commented on how we had just enough hay for the number of cattle we had. God knew. Several times we needed more cash flow in the fall than we thought, and it was only brought about by open cows. God knew. This week when I heard the call, “She’s good!” I whispered a thank you Lord! When the open call came, I knew in my heart God has a plan. It doesn’t mean I enjoy selling a beautiful cow, but it does mean that I can live knowing for a fact that God has a plan.
Life, there are two ways to look at it and we get to choose. We either believe that God has a plan, or we believe He doesn’t and has left us to just flounder through this old world. We get to choose.
I choose to rest in His plan.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
