Her number is 838, we call her June. We noticed her when we came home from summer pasture. It appeared that the summer had not been overly kind to her. She isn’t that old, five years old to be exact. We don’t know exactly what her problem is, but something is not quite right.

We have kept an eye on her, knowing that there really isn’t anything to do for her. There are two choices, she will get better, or she won’t. After the first of the two snows, below zero adventures that we went through, Greg was concerned enough about June that we needed to get her to the house. The drifts were impressive after several days of gale force winds. The wind was still blowing, and the wind chill was not friendly. Greg finally got a gate open, and the next step was to get June to go through it. It was obvious that the gate was not on her agenda, but Greg finally convinced her it was in her best interest to go through it. Slowly but surely, they made their way to me. I was stationed on the other side of the fence, ready to bring her through our yard and into the corral gate. I had better luck getting her through that gate, but at that point the adventure was just beginning.

Our next step was to actually put her in the barn, out of the weather and give her a warm dry place to lay down. June was cold and tired. We opened the big barn doors just sure that it would be enticing to her to enter this sanctuary, but that was not on June’s agenda. We tried several times to no avail. I suggested we use the smaller barn door as that is the one we train our cows to go through when they are heifers. Greg was skeptical, but we had nothing to lose. She marched through that door just like she had been taught, and I maybe smiled just a little.

June didn’t realize we were trying to help her. We were actually trying to save her. She would bow her neck and go just as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Have you ever done that? Have you ever recognized that God was trying to steer you onto the right path, to not only help you, but maybe save you, and you bowed your neck and went the other way. Maybe your parents or others that love you have been prompting you to do things that are not only good for you, but are life changing, and your reply is, “No one is going to tell me what to do!” I have been there, I have done that, and I have paid the consequences for it.

Psalm 32:8-10 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. 

God loves us friends, He wants what is best for us and if we stop and listen, He will show us the way. His word, the Bible is a great place to start. Just as the barn was a sanctuary in the middle of a storm for June, God’s loving arms are a sanctuary for us.