God Always Helps Us
The LORD is with me; I will not be
afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
–
Psalm 118:6-7a
I was beginning to think she was never going to have
that calf. Until she did. Naturally, being a new mother and a little bit unsure
of it all, she forgot where she’d left it. And, naturally, she expected me to
locate the tiny little bundle of joy.
At first, she believed she’d left the calf in the area
we call the branch. It’s an overgrown section that borders one side of the
pond. It houses two streams and all the runoff from a nearby highway. Did I
mention it is also the home of moccasins? I am terrified of snakes.
I do some of my best praying when duty calls me to
that area of the farm. I rarely see a snake until after it has seen me. If I’m
to avoid a close encounter, it is up to God to protect me. I’ve flunked that
test too many times to count. It is all on His shoulders. I repeatedly remind
Him of this as I go through the area.
That’s the thing about God: He never leaves us alone.
He’s my constant companion and my very best friend. He always has time to
listen and provide help. Searching for a newborn calf is like trying to find
that needle in a haystack. I’m sure you’ve heard that cliché. And God was right
there with me during every terrifying step.
As it happens, the calf wasn’t in the branch. Nor was
he in the upper pasture as the cow next believed. She stood there bellowing, beyond
distraught. I wanted desperately to remind her that a good mother wouldn’t have
left her newborn calf alone. I didn’t. She was upset enough without my input.
I wonder if God thinks that about us sometimes. Does
He ever look down at His distraught children begging for His help and want to
remind us that we’re in that predicament because we made a bad choice? How
frustrated God must get with us.
Of course, God never turns us away. He may let us
learn a hard lesson but He stays right beside us on the journey. God always
helps us make a better choice. If we’ll listen.
I didn’t abandon the desperate cow either. Her baby
calf emerged and he and I headed across the pasture toward his still bellowing
mama. She was so full of anguish that she refused to see him toddling toward
her.
Finally, she quieted down and gave a low call. The
baby hurried forward and started sucking. She wasn’t overly happy about that and
danced around a bit. But the baby was determined and, well, she knew it was the
right thing to do. I watched, glaring occasionally, to make sure the baby got
plenty of nourishment.
Afterwards, the baby toddled around and she followed, occasionally
glancing longingly at the cows on the other side of the property. I knew she’s
end up repeating the same mistake, leaving her baby so she could rejoin the
herd. Some of us are like that. We need to make the same mistake again and
again before we finally learn the lesson God wants to teach us.
I drove mama and baby around to the herd. And then I
shut the gate. I didn’t want a repeat the next day.
Sometimes God does that for us. He blocks us from
making the same mistake again, teaching us to rely on His wisdom until we can
grow enough in faith to make wiser choices. Through it all, God remains
steadfast. He is our helper. He is the One who loves us enough to never give up,
no matter how many times we take a wrong turn.
