When I was very young , I started into the life of a cowboy. One of the things I really enjoyed was riding the range. Kind of like the fly, I was at home on the range. I know my kids would say, “Dad that’s so corny.”
Anyhow, I loved riding out, and checking fence, and checking the cattle, watching for sick ones or lame ones. Sometimes, from time to time, I would find a cow that had just dropped a new calf, and I would have the privilege of working with this small newborn calf. This always was a treat, the idea of new life always gave me a thrill. Today, I rejoice when I hear that someone is born new into the family of God, and have that exuberant new zest for live, as they start their new life in Christ.
The other things, I enjoyed about this, was riding alone in nature. The wind blowing softly through the trees, the birds singing their song, somewhere out there in the midst of the forest. It was so peaceful and quiet. It seemed at times, and many times it was, just me and God, out there enjoying His creation. That was a time when I felt very close to my God.
I, also, was a bit mischievous and I liked to have fun. One day, I was riding along in a patch of new land, the trees had been cleared away, and the new grass was trying to take ahold before the cows came and eat it off too short, or pulled it out by the roots. There was brush piles in long rows, and at times you would come upon a hole in the ground, where the roots of a tree had been at one time, before it had been uprooted during the clearing process.
Well, it was in one of these holes, that I spotted my fun for the day. It was a young bear, about two years old or so. He was down in one of those holes, getting a drink of water, left from a recent rain fall. His head was down and his tail up. It was then, I realized, he did not hear me coming, that he never had a clue that anything, or anybody, was anywhere near him. So I thought that I would give him a scare of his life.
So, I brought my horse into a full gallop, and came upon this bear at a very fast pace. As I approached his drinking spot, I let out a blood curdling scream. Well, I had never seen a bear move so fast before in my life. He was off, he went from 0 to 50 miles an hour, in about two seconds flat. Making a break for safety, he headed straight for the nearest stand of trees. Then, aimed at the biggest tree, he made this gigantic lunge, landing on the tree at about six feet in the air. Then he proceeded up the tree with another five or six big jumps. Then, he turned and looked down at me as much to say, "Ha, ha, you didn’t catch me." But boy, was it close.
I laughed so hard, I could hardly stay in my saddle. He looked so funny hanging up in that tree. He was so scared, and little old me, had scared this ferocious black bear. Or, so I thought, at that time in my life. It was fun for me. And at the time, all I cared about was, that I was in control of the situation, and that I was having fun.
Yes, I was in control, and I was on the ground. He, on the other hand, was up a tree, with no where to go. But, I do realize now, that God was the one that had control, I was just a part of the big picture.
No comments:
Post a Comment