BE A BUFFALO....

 

When people think of Colorado, they usually think of the beautiful mountains that dominate much of the state.  Interestingly, those majestic Rocky Mountains cut the state right in two. The Colorado Plateau region is on the western side of the state, where there are hills, valleys, plateaus, and mesas.  Then east of those towering mountains are the Great Plains.  This flat area is where most of the farming in the state can be found.  It is also where buffalo—and cows, too—roam the high plains.

Scott Millson describes an interesting phenomenon often played out in Colorado:  "When cattle sense or see a storm coming over the Rockies to the West, they will turn to the East and try to outrun the storm.  If you have ever seen a cow run, you know there is no chance that the cow will outrun anything, particularly a storm.  So, when the storm hits, cows are simply prolonging their time in the storm by running with it, maximizing the amount of pain, time, and frustration they experience from that storm.  

 The buffalo on the other hand sense the same storm, but when the storm crests, they charge West, directly into the path of the approaching storm.  By running head-first into the storm, they run straight through it, minimizing the amount of pain, time, and frustration they experience from that storm.

 Both animals have similar time periods to evaluate the storm as they both come up against the SAME storm, but their responses and experiences are dramatically different.” 

 The conscious decisions we make when we encounter storms in our lives are very similar to those choices manifested on the high plains of Colorado.  Adversity is no stranger to any of us.  But much like the cows or the buffalo, it’s how we react to the storms that come to us through illness, the death of a loved one, employment challenges, wayward family members, or the problems in the world that makes the difference in our progress. 

 Do we blame God and rail against heaven for our misfortunes?  Or do we realize we are all subject to the same conditions of life, death, the actions of others, and the very nature of the earth? Again, it’s not the type of adversity we are suffering that makes the difference, it’s how we react. 

 So, let’s face the storms in our lives by running straight through them to minimize the battering and, at the same time, recognize with gratitude all that is still good.  That’s what allows us to survive the storms of life.

 In other words...

Be a buffalo.