Animals are funny creatures! They tend to be fairly self-sufficient, but occasionally we do have to step in to help them out. When our goats are growing their horns, they reach a particular point where they can push through the fence to eat the grass on the other side (an entirely different story!), but when they decide to pull their heads back through they are stuck! The frantic goat will pull and pull and cry loudly until we come over to help them. Most of the time, when we take hold of the horns to help the poor thing navigate back through the fence, the goat will push against us and refuse to cooperate! Neighbors may hear me yelling, “You silly goat, I am trying to help you!”
Just the other day, one of the newborn piglets wriggled its way through the rails of the birthing stall into another part of the barn. The mother had no way to rescue the little stray and it was squealing in frustration as it was separated from its litter mates. I ran around to the back of the barn and picked up the piglet to return it to its mother. That piglet squealed
like a “stuck pig” all the way around the pasture. Both of our sows were snorting at me and Gertrude, the lost piglet’s mother, looked as if she wanted to come through the fence to charge me. She grunted furiously as I slipped her piglet in through fence so she could nose it into the barn with the rest of the litter. As I tossed the piglet in and retreated quickly, I snapped at Gertrude, “Don’t you know I am just trying to help you?”
The very same afternoon, I let the chickens out of the run to peck around the yard. Several of the nosey hens made a beeline for
Roadrunner, our mama hen that had just hatched 5 little chicks. Immediately, she puffed up and started going after every chicken that dared move within a 5 foot radius of her precious little ones. I quickly began to gather up her chicks as they darted to get away from the mayhem. Roadrunner, spying me scooping up her offspring, came after me! Thankfully, I was able to capture all 5 chicks and move them safely to a coop where she joined them. Through the wire of the coop door I fussed at Roadrunner, “I was trying to help you, crazy mama!”
This morning, as I desperately tried to think of a way to “rescue” one of my own children, God made those words I have been uttering to my animals ring out loud and clear in my heart. I have been struggling, wrestling, and pushing against Him as I feel
helpless in the situation. My child is out of my reach and in harm’s way, yet I am powerless to assist. I want to fix it – I want to help – I want to protect – and in that desire, I rail against the one who truly has the ability to rescue. Oh, that I could just get out of the way! It is the kindness of God that He has shown me, through my own ability to rescue my animals in sticky situations, that where I am unable – He is able! I choose to trust Him, knowing that He loves my child infinitely more than even I can. In that love, I find my hope.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1