Stand Firm!

The Egyptians were marching after the Israelites. They were terrified and cried out to Lord. They said to Moses "Was it because there was no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Ex. 14: 10-12)

Moses answered the people, "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Ex. 14: 13-14)

When it comes to buying necessities for the farm like feed, parts for the tractor, vet bills, medications, etc., it can get stressful. It takes a toll on you, not only mentally, but emotionally and most of all, spiritually. I often wonder why we as farmers put so much money into things that we barely get a dime back for. Don't get me wrong, some farmers have the business figured out and make it out pretty well. But when you look behind the barn door, things don't seem to fine. With feed prices rising and gas prices as well, it gets difficult to pay for things and we are constantly finding ourselves making many sacrifices, just to pay for a bag of grain. And then I constantly find myself asking God "Why?" Why are grain prices rising? Why are we making little profit? Why God! WHY! .........

But then I realize that Jesus sacrificed more than what I will ever have to sacrifice. He paid more than what I will ever have to pay. And it was for Me....for You.....for Everyone! He sacrificed his own Life and paid for Your sins so you will be forgiven.

The Israelites had complained to Moses about the Egyptians but Moses said to them "...see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today." I realized that I shouldn't complain about the little things. I need to "stand firm" and "see the deliverance the Lord will bring me".

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

When asked in Elementary school, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", most kids reply by shouting "FIRE-FIGHTER!" or "DOCTOR!" or on those odd chances...."PLUMBER!". But it's not to often these days to hear a kid shout "FARMER!". Well I guess shoveling manure and waking up at the butt crack of dawn to do it, is not the career of choice for an eight year old who finds entertainment in anything that's shiny. But eh, what can ya do. For me, that's all I wanted to be when I was growing up; a farm with all the pretty ponies in the world! And I still want that today...except with much bigger dreams; a 200 acre ranch with rolling hills and a pasture full of the finest Quarter Horses in the country, and my multi-million dollar pole barn holds an International Harvester Combine....and then I realized that selling freezer beef and poultry from our small farm will barely make a down payment on that combine. So my young, adolescent mind when off to dreaming again. When asked the inevitable question again in Middle School, I was still unsure of how my future would play out. So back to thinking I went....fortunately my mind stumbled and fell upon Veterinarian. WHA-LAH! What better way to stay involved with my furry friends and pay for that big toy they call a combine, then become a vet!? And that's when a disease began.
Today I had the opportunity to "shadow" a veterinarian and watch some of his surgeries. When I walked through the doors, I was confident and excited, ready to see what my future entailed. Long story short, it didn't take more than an hour for me to get wheezy and get sick. Yep, that's right, the girl who picks up a frozen horse turd in the winter and has a "frozen-poo-fight" with her buddies, couldn't handle a simple ovarian hysterectomy (spaying a cat). But determined, I fought through my sick stomach and finished watching the surgery. When the Doctor finished he asked me if I was OK. Of course I replied with "Just Great!"...he said "Great! We have 9 more surgeries just like this!". After 10 ovarian hysterectomies and 5 De-claws, we finished the day with sterilizing operating tables and laughing off our tiredness.
I sat back and looked around and I saw an office of people who love what they do, and do what they love. I learned a lot today....and I mean A LOT....but I think the biggest lesson I learned is that you can't go through life doing something that you don't enjoy and dread having to go to the next morning. I'm more than thankful for all that God has blessed me with, but I pray to big guns upstairs that he blesses me with the job of my dreams....

  (Top) Holding a pup after taking his temperature and updating everything. (Above) Performing a De-Claw on a Cat.