Faith and Farming a 5-Day Youversion by Caitlin HendersonSýnishorn

Strong and Courageous

Cows kill more people than sharks do.

That’s what I was thinking about the first time I had to feed the cows alone. They heard my truck pull into the pasture and knew it meant dinnertime. Sixty mommas came running. 

When Jake would feed the cows, he walked through the herd to the back of the truck, lowered the bale of hay to the ground, then cut the net wrap that holds the bale together. But as the demanding cows stretched their necks to sneak a nibble of hay right off the truck, I became overwhelmed with fear. I've seen the damage a 1,300 pound cow could do, even by accident.

So I climbed out the window and on top of the truck, then into the bed. My nervousness grew, along with the cows’ impatience. I was in no danger, yet my hands shook and my heart­ pounded as I cut the net wrap off the bale, lowered the bale to the ground, and climbed back over the roof and into the driver’s seat.

These days, after years as a farmer’s wife, I can feed the cows without climbing onto the roof of the truck. But I had to keep facing my fear until it no longer owned me. Fear does one thing: it prevents us from living the lives God has called us to. 

God doesn’t suggest we be strong and courageous; He commands it. It’s that important. He knows that day after day we’ll be presented with our fears, and He reminds us that He’ll be alongside us in the midst of them. 

Your fear is probably different from mine, but I bet it is has stopped you from being all in on the life God has planned for you. God wants to use you. He wants you to face that fear so you can experi­ence what a life of freedom in Christ really means. He wants to work in your life and be the light that shines through you. 

What fear tugs on your heart and won’t let go? What is the dream God has tucked into the depths of your soul that sounds too big and scary to accomplish? What situation are you in that is requiring you to be courageous and to trust the One who wants to use you for His glory?