With plans to visit family in Tennessee for the weekend, my husband and I packed our bags. The day before we were leaving, one cow was missing from the pasture. Being a full grown steer, it was ready for market. We finally located a strand of loose barbed wire with a tuft of black hair intertwined in it.

Hopeful, after it appeared we had found where the cow got out, we expanded our search. We walked the fence line, knocked on doors and drove the surrounding area, asking permission to walk wooded areas and fields searching for the cow. When we didn’t find it the first day, we felt it was best to cancel our plans for the weekend and focus on the missing bovine. 

Our first worry was that it would get hit on the road, causing injury to someone else. The second concern was the loss of the investment. The entire weekend was spent pulling out all the stops, calling neighbors and searching high and low on foot. Over ten years later, we have never seen a trace of the missing cow, past the hair in the barbed wire. It’s almost unbelievable that a 1,000 pound animal could completely disappear. We felt the loss in several aspects. We talked about how someone may have filled their freezer with our beef or perhaps he wandered into the wild. 

A loose cow spotting never ran on the newspaper headline or on the television. We have absolutely no idea what in the world happened to the beef. Sometimes anger washed over us when our minds wondered if it was stolen but over time we have learned to let go of the situation and accept the unknown. However, our human minds sometime think about the possibilities wrapped around this bizarre circumstance. Thankfully, we are able to laugh about it now. 

Many things unfold in our lives here on earth that we just don’t know the answers to. It is hard to accept the possible reasons for sickness, death, tragedy, or a missing cow. So often we lose a loved one or face a trial but never fully understand the entire circumstance. We spend time reasoning and searching for answers. In an effort to comfort ourselves, we create explanations. Reasoning and bargaining are tools we resort to in order to temporarily feel better. All of the things our human mind can fabricate is like sticking a Band-Aid on a serious wound that truly requires stitches. We will continue to bleed through the Band-Aid until the hard work of healing is done. 

Accepting the unknown in God’s bigger picture is where our Heavenly Father wants us to rest. When we feel like our life just busted through the fence and we don’t know where to find our new normal again, turn to God for peace. We aren’t meant to know all the answers or understand why each trial knocked on our door. Be still, rest.  Peace will only come when we accept that God knows the whole story. He is still at work in the mystery of our hearts. 

When the cow goes missing and no answers are found, trust that our Heavenly Father waits in the place He has prepared for us with every answer. Until we meet Him face to face, don’t spend your days searching for the lost cow. Instead, let’s spend our days healing, trusting, and accepting the peace God wants to give us. Step forward in faith

“Your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6: 32-33

Contact Ashley at ashley@tippgazette.com

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Tippecanoe Gazette

Attn: Ashley Spring McCarroll

PO Box 84

Tipp City, Ohio 45371