Late one Saturday afternoon we noticed a cow in our pasture that didn’t belong to us. By the brand we were able to identify who it belong to. We made a phone call to let them know we had her. The next morning we fed her some cubes, checked her water then headed to church.
When we returned home that afternoon, she had gotten herself into a bind. She had gotten her head stuck between the fence and post. After some finagling the guys were able to get her loose. She’s one of those, this wasn’t the first time she had wondered from home and gotten into trouble. She was one of those, who lead other cattle astray, tries to hook anyone around, and that one you can never predict…..she’s the one you warn the newbies on the ranch about. “Watch out for #44, she’ll hook ya.”
Wouldn’t it be nice if our problems had numbers on them like cattle. If we could recognize what problem was heading our way and know how to handle it? We’d steer clear of some, know to be prepared with a horse and rope for others, and even some could be handled with ease.
After not sleeping for three nights because let’s face it, I was consumed with not just a problem but many problems, some of which were not my own. I knew I was getting no where! Time to do what works, time to go back to the list of ALWAYS.
- Always take it to the Lord.
- Always go back and remember those problems in the past. They may have been huge at the time but most were not as big as when we first faced them.
- Always allow God to work.
- Always realize you will be more sensitive because you are hurting, it’s easy to want to make others hurt too. Sometimes we aren’t even aware that we are snapping at someone.
- Always remember God is bigger than your problem: Be careful that you are not chasing down people on the street to tell them how horrible your life is….pretty soon you’ll have no friends and even bigger problems. Instead, think of how God worked things out in your past. God has handled this before, He will do it again. God is no stranger to problems and no stranger to you.
- Always find Godly counsel. If a problem is pretty big, you will need to find trust worthy friends who will pray. We have several couples we’ve learned to rely on through the years.
- Always expect God’s answer. It may not be what you think, He may ask you to do something unexpected, just to show you that HE was the one who took care of it. HE was the one that provided. HE was the one who delivered.
- Always ask forgiveness, if you were the one who caused the problem in the first place. The problem you are facing might not even involve forgiveness but if it does, take care of it quickly. There’s nothing better than getting something off your chest.
- Always trust. God does call us to bear one another’s burdens at times but He never ask us to be God. He says to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us.
1 Peter 5:7. He didn’t design us to do it alone. He didn’t make us to be worriers but warriors.
- Always listen and then do! When we have a problem we are looking for solutions. Desperate decisions are made in desperate times, so don’t become desperate! Slow down! Know His voice so you will know what to do. He won’t ask you to do something outside His word or His character. But, at some point you will have to DO something. Yes, some problems go away on there own but some will just be waiting for you to take care of them.
If you ever find yourself, kind of like that cow, between the fence and the post….try the list of always. Please leave a comment below and let me know how God has given you an answer, when you were facing a problem. And please, sign up for my email list. Thank you so much.
9 Comments
Leave your reply.