The Lord's Calf...

There was once a farmer and in the springtime he had a cow who happened to birth two calves. The man came rushing into the house and told his wife that they had been blessed and for her to come and see what God had done for them. The woman went out to the barn with her husband and saw the two calves there and asked what he intended to do with the other calf? The man replied emphatically, "This is a blessing from God, the blessing that you and I have been praying for. We did not have any money to give back to God as our tithe and so he provided us with this calf for us to raise, sell, and give the money to Him." The woman thought that was a wonderful idea and so she asked her husband, "So which calf is the Lord's and which calf is ours?" Her husband responded, "It doesn't matter, they are both gifts!" Latter that summer the man went out to feed the livestock and was shocked and dismayed at what he found. He ran quickly back into the house to tell his wife the terrible news. "Hunny", he said, "The Lord's calf died..."

How many times do we start out with the best intentions, but somewhere along the way we loose focus and end up slipping into a place we never intended to go? You see, the farmer started out with good intentions, and it was easy for him to be content with his decision while both of the calves were living and doing well, but as soon as one died, he completely forgot about the promise he had made to God at their birth and the fact that they were both gifts and blessings from God to begin with. The next time you find yourself facing hard times or the road of your life becomes a bit rocky and there are bumps in the road, remember the promises that you made to Him, but more importantly remember the promises that He has made to you...