The weather is turning cooler and I’ve begun preparing for deer season and have begun the scouting process in search of a trophy buck. Yesterday afternoon I took one of my plantation workers on a tour of the prime locations. I drove way back into a secluded food plot on a perilous road. I say perilous because at the end of the road it was very muddy and a creek bordered either side.
Not to worry I successfully maneuvered through the mud hole and entered the food plot with no problem. We examined the area and I gave him some instructions about the deer stand located there. As we left we entered the small logging road to return to the main road. Emboldened by my earlier success I bragged, “The secret to not getting stuck my inexperienced friend is to ease along and whatever you do, don’t break through the crust”.
No sooner had I made my brag than the heavy truck broke through the crust exposing the slippery goo underneath and we started spinning, slipping, and sliding all over the road.
I quickly added in a slightly panicked and elevated voice, “And if you do break through the crust, one must keep it moving at ALL costs!”
I gunned it and fought to keep it centered on the road as it slid back and forth through the slick mud. Suddenly it lurched to the left and the truck went right into some trees. I quickly backed up, got it straightened out, and floored it again to keep it moving. This time it launched into an uncontrollable slide and veered right off into the creek and the entire right side of the truck was submerged in the creek.
Stuck!
My friend turned to me and smiled and said, “The secret to not getting stuck is to ease along and not break through the crust”, and then he added, “And if you do break through the crust, one must keep it moving at ALL costs. Got it!” Then he guffawed like a hyena right up to the point he looked into my eyes and saw me glaring at him.
Just then he let his window down to take a look at the tire and I gunned it and sprayed his grinning face with mud. This time I laughed.
We got out of the truck and examined our situation. It looked bleak and it was going to be a long walk back to the barn, and unfortunately I had on my Sunday best cowboy boots.
Sigh . . .
He asked if I had a chain and I sourly said, “What good will a chain do. Are we going to chain it up and then pull it out by hand? We need the tractor dum dum”. As I looked at the situation I saw that my front tires were turned to the left, and it made me wonder if I straightened them whether or not it might make a difference. I decided to get back in and straighten it up and try again.
My buddy looked at me like I was crazy and widely grinned. He fully expected me to bury it so deep this time that we’d need a front end loader and not merely just a tractor to get it out.
After I straightened it up, at first all it did was spin.
I don’t like giving up without a fight (or walking miles in my Sunday cowboy boots) so I decided to pull forward, (further into the creek) to see if I could move it a little. This would seem insane because it was going to be a job to get it out now, but what the heck.
Sure enough as soon as I gave it some gas, it moved forward about a foot. I threw it into reverse and it actually moved a little backwards before it started spinning again. I moved it back forward and then reverse again. It moved further each time. I tried it again and again, and finally it caught and I went wildly sliding back and forth out of the mud hole and back onto the slippery road.
I kept it moving backwards until I reached solid ground and then sat there eyeing the road ahead for a moment.
BANZAI!!!!
I threw the truck into gear and it lurched forward at a high rate of speed. I began wildly careening back and forth on the slippery road throwing mud 50 feet behind me with all four wheels digging for traction. I saw my friend’s eyes widen as big as saucers as the truck veered right towards him and he desperately scrambled out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed.
Finally I made it through the mud hole and stopped on the other side on dry ground. I triumphantly looked at him and told him to never doubt me.
He just grinned and shook his head and said, “That was impressive!”
As I recollected this incident this morning I caught myself smiling and laughing. It made me think of my life and how often things looked entirely bleak and I was ready to just quit, but for some reason I found the courage to forge ahead. Just like driving my old truck out of that creek ditch was so unlikely as to not be believable, making anything out of my life has defied all earthly wisdom.
People who are homeless with all of the problems one could imagine have zero chance of succeeding at anything, right?
Wrong!
One thing I’ve noticed is that there are many unhappy people in this world. Old Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be”. If you are unhappy this morning maybe you should take the example of my old truck this morning and pick up on my attitude of not quitting and being determined to keep trying to drive your life out of that ditch. Maybe you should just make up your mind that you’re going to be happy today.
If you’re stuck in a ditch, don’t give up. If you have detractors, sling mud in their faces like I did. The Bible states, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. So if you logically think about that verse you will necessarily come to the conclusion that it begins with faith. Either you believe it to be true, or you believe the Holy Bible to be a lie.
Which is it?
Once you believe and have faith, then you must act. Don’t listen to earthly wisdom all of the time. Most situations are not as bad as they seem, especially when intensified with emotion which leads to hopelessness and doubt. My buddy no more thought I could drive that truck out of that creek than a man in the moon. The same with anyone who knew me when I was a meth addict on the street. If you would have told them I was going to end up at Honey Lake they would have hysterically laughed at you and called you insane, but here I am.
It began and will end with faith in Jesus Christ.
Matt. 17:20
. . . Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
September 30, 2013 – Click here to listen