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.
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!
