natasha

Early this morning I had an encounter with Natasha. Before you get any wild ideas, Natasha is a 2 year old, mostly black, Holstein dairy cow. She is owned by a friend of mine for whom I do some work. In the life of a dairy cow, the first two years she is primarily a "taker". She eats, drinks, and lounges all day. However somewhere around 2 years of age, she transforms from being a taker to being a productive member of the herd. She has a calf and begins to produce milk. Every part of her life becomes more structured in a manner that enhances her health and productivity. Most cows make the transition to a productive life rather easily.

Natasha on the other hand, has not made the transition well. To make matters worse, she has an infection in her udder that needs attention. This morning she cooperated fairly well until I was almost done treating the infection. Suddenly she decided that she wanted to put a hoof imprint on my body. Fortunately for me, I saw it coming and jumped out of the way. Immediately she lashed out again, this time catching her foot in the stall divider. She went berserk, bellowing and hopping up and down in an effort to get her foot loose. I watch her in amusement because I knew that as soon as she quit hopping, her foot would be free. Eventually she managed to free her foot after a great deal of commotion.

Natasha is at a crossroads in her life. If she doesn't soon learn to cooperate with our effort to help her, she may very well find herself at the golden arches in a sesame seed bun right under the lettuce. On the other hand, if she quits resisting the parameters that help her become fruitful, she can expect to live a long and productive life.

As I finished up the morning milking and feeding the cows, I allowed my mind to travel back over the years. I realized that I have seen people just like Natasha. When God invited them to a place of fruitfulness they responded with joy. However, when the discipline necessary for fruitfulness began, they began to lash out. They get their foot caught, increasing their discomfort. They hop, bellow, and blame. In the end, because they never submit to the hand and ways of God, they choose the way of misery and barrenness instead of life and fruitfulness.

What is going to happen to Natasha? Whether she finds herself nestled in cheese and special sauce or whether she will find herself enjoying lush pastures and a comfortable barn will most likely be largely up to her.

dreams and impossibility

Last weekend a group of us were in New York working on the cabin. This whole project has been a series of obstacles to overcome perhaps none bigger than this past weekend. A 2X16 laminated beam, 36 feet long need to go to the very top of the structure. We had no mechanical lift to aid us. There were six of us, 4 men and 2 women. As we surveyed the task in front of us, one of our group declared that he would eat a certain natural fertilizer if we got the beam in place.

Like any obstacle needing to be overcome, a strategy needed to be devised. However the time came to take action. We attached ropes, set ladders and flexed muscles. And then it was time to begin. We got one end partially up on the interior beam. As we worked the beam higher, a series of obstacles began to confront us. The one knot began to slip. Additionally the beam lodged against an interior beam. We found ourselves in a predicament...we couldn't seem to go any higher; we certainly couldn't let it drop due to the danger of damaging both the beam and the existing house structure.

The practical fulfillment of every God-given dream will eventually put us in that kind of place. We are too far into the outworking of the dream too go back without doing damage. However, moving forward seems to be an impossibility as well.

In our predicament with the beam, we took a bit of time, secured it where it was, re-tyed the knot, and strategized some more. As we began to implement our new strategy, suddenly the beam started to move again. Slowly we inched it up and into place only to discover that we had cut the beam wrong; it was too long. Once again we had to determine a course of action. We gathered cords, a saw was taken to the top of the scaffolding and the length was corrected (after 3 attempts). We fastened the beam into place. A great deal of joy ensued. We accomplished what seemed impossible several hours before.

And so it is with the unfolding of dreams. Impossibility faces us at every turn. Obstacles stare us in the face. At the point of those obstacles, we can shrink back in fear, immobilized by the immensity of the task ahead of us. Or we can take charge of the situation, imposing God's grace and our will on the situation instead of being controlled by it.

Oh and the member of our group who promised to eat that natural fertilizer, well we chose to not hold him to his words. However, he did have to endure a great deal of good-natured banter.