Water Races

The first Tursday night of every month is the regular Blue Springs Board of Aldermen meeting. It's at 6:00, so, after work, I had to drive home carefully just under the speed limit (as is my habit because I am seriously against speeding, just so you know)  and race around like some kind of wild thing trying to get all my buckets and pitchers filled with hot water to carry to the barn and water all the animals. I would fill one bucket up and haul it dripping across the hardwood floor, out the front door, and into the wagon. While I was carrying one bucket, the second one would be filling. One after another. The entire time I was praying. "Lord, you've got to help me get these buckets filled so these animals can get some water before I have to leave."  I was filling and praying as fast as I could go. Looking back, it's really remarkable how quickly those buckets filled, especially since my cold water in the kitchen froze mid-drip last night.  Since I had the meeting and wasn't sure how long it would last, I filled the water buckets and Bill the Magnificent emptied them into the waterers. 

This animal water-hauling project is really a lot of trouble and it's a lot of work. The luster is off the project. I'm ready to be warm and I want to simply turn on the faucet and get water. I don't want to drip the water on the hardwood; I don't want anymore leaves in my sink. I don't want to do it, but I will, and I will do it without hesitation simply because it must be done. It's my responsibility and it's the right thing to do. The end is in sight, and I plan to see this all the way through. 

It's hard, this keeping on with a difficult task that has stopped being fun, isn't it?  The easiest thing to do would be to bail out. Call someone to get the livestock and just sell out on the spot. I know all that, but for now, it's mine to do, and the doing of it speaks volumes about my character. Watching calves frolic in the summer pasture says nothing about who I am. Hauling water in seven degree weather at 4:30 in the morning speaks volumes. I don't really care whether anyone ever knows I did this hard task or not. God knows and I know, and THAT is why it matters. 

Life is a wonderful gift and there are more good times than we can possibly deserve. Every once in a while, though, life is just hard. The choices we make when it is hard reveal who we are, not just to God and to ourselves, but also to the world. When faced with a difficult and unpleasant task, what do your choices reveal about you?  Do you go the distance? Do you find opportunities to rejoice even in adversity?  Be sure the choice you make reflects the person you intended to be.