Tow Truck by Dr. Juan Harrison
Tow Truck
Sometimes it seems bad news comes in bunches or waves. Almost daily we’d hear that a brother-in-law had lung cancer, my former pastor and friend had liver cancer, my father-in-law had repeat cancer on his arm, my old coaching buddy has prostate cancer. The list grows longer. Sadly the Bible’s assessment that man’s days are numbered and full of woe is being fulfilled.
I read something the other day from a newly divorced former classmate of my son. Attractive and professionally successful, she was struggling to come to grips with her situation, but all the while was praising God for helping her accept this as part of her faith journey helping her to show others that you can survive a marital storm and maintain your faith. Not everyone can do it. People are looking for role models and examples of how true believers are able to deal with tragedy and disappointments. We’re attracted to people who demonstrate strength and a positive attitude when life dumps it on your head, aka the little boy digging through a pile of horse poop saying, “There’s got to be a pony in there somewhere.”
As our times and our general and mental and spiritual climates seems more unstable and darker than ever, wise people look for answers or guidance in how to cope with the total breakdown of values in our society. Foolish people rely on their weakened human condition and try to fight the battle alone, hence increases in mental, physical, and spiritual struggles in their lives even resulting in the taking of lives as hope becomes nonexistent.
A dairy farmer friend who thought I might make a good son-in-law when I got back from the war was showing me around his dairy barn as his daughters looked out the kitchen window. He told me, “Anybody can make money in the dairy business in the good times. The trick is how you do it in the hard times.” Our dairies in our county shrank from 700 to less than 100.
I frequently remind people that a big part of our life consists of dropping off into a mud hole, trying to survive not getting stuck in the mud or just getting out of a mud hole. The rains are gonna come. We have to make hay while the sun shines and the fields are dry. Life doesn’t adjust its timetable for us. Expecting it to do so can leave some pretty frustrated people. The trick and the challenge is to acknowledge that hard times may just be around the corner, while mentally and spiritually knowing you don’t have to fight through the mud hole yourself. You can keep the number of your spiritual tow truck on speed dial to come pull you out of the mud.
By Dr. Juan Harrison
