Last Friday, it was time to sell a bull. So I hooked up the trailer to my pickup and got ready to load the bull. That’s when Shannon asked me if the cattle sale would be open because of the holiday weekend. I assured her it would.
We got the bull into the cattle pen but he decided he didn’t want to go. He rammed the gate so hard, he broke the bolt holding the security chain and ran for the hills. That meant repairing the gate.
We got the bull into the cattle pen for a second time, moved him into the alley of the squeeze chute and that’s when the rope that opened the entry gate to the squeeze chute broke. That meant replacing the rope.
Once the bull was loaded, it was time to drive to the sale.
As I was driving through Rogers, a pickup pulled beside me and the man yelled, “Sir, your trailer has a flat tire.” So I pulled into a church parking lot, saw that I had a flat tire, and changed it. This meant I was late for the cattle sale.
I drove like a mad man to the cattle sale and when I got there I noticed there were no trucks, no people, no cattle. There was no sale because of the holiday weekend.
I drove home realizing I would have to sell the bull another day. I also realized I had to repair the gate for the cattle pen, replace the rope on the squeeze chute, and buy a new tire for the trailer.
Having learned my lesson from the closed cattle sale, I looked online at tire stores. All of them were going to be closed for July 4th. That put extra pressure on me because I was scheduled to take a horse with cancer to Texas A&M for treatment, early Monday morning. So I drove to Discount Tire for a replacement.
As I pulled up to Discount Tire, a very courteous employee stood at the entrance of the parking lot. He took my name and told me I would have to come back in an hour and then there would be a parking spot available for me. So I sat in the mall parking lot for an hour.
When I finally did get into the parking lot of Discount Tire, again, I had to wait. And while the employees of the store were incredibly friendly and helpful, they were overwhelmed by all the people needing tires. I was one of many.
As I sat there in the parking lot, realizing I had lost an entire day, I got a phone call from a friend. Usually, I like talking to him but this time I didn’t. He told me that I had been exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. That was the icing on the cake for a really bad day.
Once I got the trailer tire, I drove home. I was feeling sorry for myself thinking how bad the day had been. That’s the moment I realized I had a choice. I could focus on the bad – which was a lot. Or, I could focus on the fact that my family is healthy, I have food to eat, Shannon hasn’t kicked me out of the house yet, I have a job that I love, I live in a free country and most importantly, I have a good God. I decided to focus on the good.
This is the choice each of us makes. Do we focus on the negative or positive?
Your life will have challenges. It will also have blessings. What you focus on dictates how you will see the day.
This is why Paul said: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)
Focus on the fact that we have a wonderful God who loves us more than life itself. That’s what really matters.
Prayer: Dear Gracious Heavenly God, open my eyes so that I may truly see how blessed I am. Fill my heart with gratitude, my mind with wisdom to see the truth, and mouth with your praise. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
No matter what happens, today is going to be a good day.
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins
Daily Devotionals by Dr. Tom Robbins 