Lost Donkeys, Lost Steers, and the Crazy Places God Meets Us

Today, Sunday, three of us were home sick, and I picked up this book that I've had for many weeks from the library.

It's a hilarious book with some potent life lessons, called Flash:The Homeless Donkey Who Taught me about Life, Faith, and Second Chances.

I have been deeply touched with the stories in this book about this priceless donkey.

Today's story reminded me of our recent morning hunt for lost steers. 

Today I read the chapter 12 where Rachel Ridge's donkey ran away the night of a storm that blew the pasture gate off its hinges.

They spent part of the next morning hunting for it and waiting for a call from the sheriff 

to let them know when someone found it.

The author wrote about reading that morning the story of Saul and his lost donkeys--

and how Saul's frustrating experience with lost donkeys was actually the way God chose 

to encounter Saul with a new destiny--and spiritual transformation. 

[I got this picture of a nearby neighbor's donkeys or burros while out hunting for our steers.]

I hope this clip from her book will be an encouragement to others as it was to me. 

Rachel wrote,

"We wander all over the figurative countryside trying to solve our donkey problems'"

 [and for us, steer problems!]

"Our financial setbacks. Our hurting marriages.

Our parenting issues. Our soul-killing jobs. Rocky relationships. 

Ill health. Insecurities. Fears. Doubts...

But while we're out there in the middle of Nowhereville like Saul was,

God has already been at work.

In fact, Nowhereville is just where we are supposed to be.

"I started to see that all of our donkey problems, our hard situations, are the very things God uses

to get us to a place of encounter. A place where our hearts are made new. Like Saul,

we've come to the end of everything we can think of to do,

and we've given up.

And then we give it one last chance, one more shot, and boom

That's the moment God shows up."

"When we're out of our comfort zones, have used up all of our resources, 

and are at the end of all hope. 

That's the place where He meets us. 

And I suddenly knew that it was through my circumstances that God had changed me."

"I'd gone from a starry-eyed dreamer to a wiser, seasoned woman who wasn't afraid of hard work and overcoming obstacles.

I went from fear of failing to confidence in His grace. 

From one who simply read about God's strength in weakness to one who experienced it firsthand. From someone who despised the struggles to one who embraced the lessons found in them. 

All the situations I tried to fix were simply His means to get me to where He wanted me to be."

"Lost donkeys.

God's purposes...

Your journey isn't about fixing donkey problems.

It's about transformation."

So take a break like the finally found steers and the puppies once they all reached home!

Like I said to the Lord this evening,

"Thank You for all these unnerving problems You've allowed in my life.

You wanted parts of me to be transformed.

You wanted to wean me from the huge need of approval of man,

until I could be confident in who I was 

and Who You were, and Your love for me
whether others always approve of me or not."