Reliant
It’s a curious thing: if someone was to tell me 12 months ago that I would find myself spending endless hours in a barn milking goats, I would have laughed. Only because the idea would have been so outside any circumstance I could have imagined. However, in a life filled with the unforseen I have found myself in yet another unexpected situation. And, as all good stories go, I have grown and learned so much.
Of course, there is the obvious practical knowledge: the ins and outs of working with the animals and pivoting with the changes of each season. Milking during the summer in the mountains was much different than in the valley during winter. Then “kid season” arrives, where suddenly you have upwards of 300 baby goats to care for. Following the arrival of these youngsters, unpredictable and not so pleasant situations arise where things break, kid’s escape, or an animal becomes sick. Each week is an opportunity to work hard and learn more.
In the past, when talking with ranchers and farmers, I recall them alluding to the personality and patterns of their flock or field. Working with the land and animals gives them a perspective so different than those of us who have spent most of our lives in a classroom, office, or in front of a screen. They talk about the rhythms of days, weeks, months, seasons and more. They reflect on the reality that what they need to survive and thrive is, in many ways, out of their control. I’ve been envious of their connection to the land; their flow with the seasons and their service to our communities. Something deep inside me longed to experience this life. Now I’ve had a taste.
My time in the barn has shown me that goats are curious and surprisingly smart animals. At first meeting they responded with distance and fear. However, once they became comfortable with me I noticed a shift of behavior to what I call “pre-teen” mode. Sometimes they obey. Sometimes they resist with all they have. Most days they are calm and reliable. Then, out of the blue, they will do the dumbest thing you could imagine, like getting their head stuck in a fence or jump off the milking platform. Nevertheless, in the end I began to realize that this lively bunch of goat-ladies, simply want you to take care of them, give them a treat, or use you for a scratching post.
As intelligent as they may seem and as unruly as they are capable of behaving, these animals, none-the-less, are utterly reliant on the farmer - their caretaker. The balance between life and death for these animals is a real thing. The slightest variable can set them on a course to illness or death, or towards health, safety and productivity. They are 100% dependent on their caretaker for their vitality, during the harsh Norwegian winter months.
It sounds silly, but I began to ponder…you know, those existential questions that one thinks about while milking goats… Are we really any different than these goats? Are we not reliant on the provision and protection of our caretaker? Our Creator? Our Father in heaven?
It’s a humbling thought.
Clearly, we are not on the same level as goats.; we are more than beasts. However, I don’t find it a far reach to make the connection that our lives, as humans beings, also weigh in the balance. What we need to survive and thrive doesn’t necessarily come from our own hands, but from above.
Then, to take it to the next logical step, one must ask, “Is our Caretaker worthy of our trust, can He be relied upon for what we actually need?
These are important questions to consider, whether you’re hanging with goats or just reading about someone crazy enough to do so. But I do think it worthwhile to simply point out two truths that have shifted my life for the better, forever:
Why not take control? Why not pray like its up to God, but act like its up to you? Why not mitigate worry with the certainty of your own abilities? Why not…?
Whether goat or man, control seems a good idea and often the safer choice, especially in uncertain times. However, we were not created to live a life of control, but a life of faith, trust and surrender to our Creator:
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? ...
- Matthew 6:25-34
We know that we can trust our Creator, for His love extends beyond the confines of death. For he laid down his own life so that we may live life abundantly. We can thrive in His care.
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us…
- 1 John 3:16
Who would have thought that a little time in a goat barn would help me understand just how reliant I am on Him? God only knows what He may use next. :)