Fighting off Coyotes

When I was in grade school, I grew up on a farm and we had all kinds of animals.  We had everything from chickens, cows, pigs, and sheep to even a pet monkey!   There was one problem on our farm, though…coyotes.  They were the enemy to the rest of our farm animals. 

One night, some coyotes came out of the woods and down into our farm and attacked one of our mommy sheep that had baby twin lambs.  The next morning, my parents told me what had happened the night before and that we had to be the mommy for the little twin lambs. We would need to feed them and take care of them. So, my dad built a little fenced off pen in the corner of our kitchen for our new additions.  We named the lambs “Baa Baa” and “Mi Mi” because of the sounds each one had made.  Every morning while I waited for the school bus, I fed the baby lambs with a bottle while I waited for the school bus.  I can still remember how their furry wool felt as I cuddled them both.

“Baa Baa” and “Mi Mi” thrived in the safety of our little farm kitchen.  During this time, my brother was quite young and was learning how to talk while we raised these little lambs.  While my brother was learning to talk and walk, he had picked up “Baa Baa” and “Mi Mi’s” sheep sounds! My brother ended up calling our mom “Baa” instead of “mom” because that’s all he heard! As funny as it was, it took quite a while for him to break that habit and stop calling mom “Baa Baa”!  He was certainly a product of his environment.

I have often felt like a product of my environment and I have often felt attacked by different circumstances throughout my life.  The coyotes in my life have been Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  These mental illnesses have come close to devouring me whole and literally taking my life. At times, I created an unhealthy environment for myself by surrounding myself with toxic people and unhealthy survival skills.  I finally cried out to God, in my darkest moment, when I couldn’t take it anymore and I was in complete desperation.  Right away, God intervened when I finally asked Him to help me. 

 Like our baby lambs that we raised in our kitchen I too feel complete shelter in the safe and healthy environment of my home, family and friends. I have had to create healthy boundaries and coping skills that help slay the coyotes in my life that trigger my mental illness. By being transparent and honest with the positive people in my life, I allow them to understand better how I need help slaying those coyotes in my life!

Whatever circumstance you are faced with today, let God fight your battles for you and allow others to help you on your recovery process.  Recovery only comes in to your life when you allow it to come in.  We all need help slaying those coyotes in our life!