CHoose a Life THat Matters

Dr. Doug Ford, Production Animal Consultation & Dr. Greg Quakenbush, Geissler Corp.

Every spring for the past 30 years, I have taken to the road for 3 months to spay 5,000-15,000 heifers. It is always challenging to service everyone’s needs in addition to our regular spring clinical work plus calving 200 of our own cows. As frustrating as this time of year becomes, it is still one of my favorite seasons — seeing the first robin on a snow covered chilly spring day, sprigs of green grass peeking out from the protection of a gnarly sagebrush plant or the joy of watching newborn babies buck and play on a warm sunshine morning. Most people are never privileged to experience the joys of rural life. It’s not just the connection with God’s creation, but the common thread we share within the agricultural community.

One big reason I continue to torture my body every spring is the anticipation of spending time with old friends and the excitement of meeting new ones. You never know where the opportunities lie when working chute side day after day. One minute you could be discussing antibiotic resistance, vaccination protocols, talk of family matters, or the occasional off-color story.

The other day one of our random topics of discussion was great movies. The conversation went from twisted plots, morality, cowboy logic and principal to just great entertainment. The question was, how would Lonesome Dove have been different without Gus, Gunsmoke without Matt Dillon, and any great western without the awesome triad of Louis L’Amour, Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott?

To take matters one step farther, what would we be today without Barney Fife, his larger than life nature and his one bullet? I think deep down there may be a little Barney in all of us.

What is the point? All of the really great movies created their magic with the right script, the right actors, and the right director. As I become older and more mature, I realize that our lives are no different. God, as the ever-present eternal Director, has scripted our lives and cast us for a specific role. I don’t have to be Tom Selleck, even though we look amazingly alike. It’s okay to be me! God has given me all I need to be perfect for my part. All I have to do is make myself available for the script he has provided.

Someday our movie will have an ending, and there will be no more chances to do a retake of the scene, bloopers and all. At the end of our movie, the music will play and the credits will roll for one last time. It should be noted that our performance will be judged, however not by the Academy. I’ve already been invited to attend the awards ceremony, in spite of some lousy performances.

With the passage of time, will our fame as leading actors or actresses shrivel in irrelevance? Will it matter that we won an Oscar or Grammy, or made more movies and worked harder than anyone else?

How will the value of our days be measured? What will truly matter is how we treated everyone on the set. Not what we achieved, but what we gave. Not our best performance, but our significance. Not our starring role, but what we taught others. What will matter is every “scene” of honor, courage, compassion, and integrity and how we enriched others’ lives. What will matter is character. It may not be who our leading counterpart was, but if those on the set feel lasting loss when we are gone. What memories will live on in the many who participated in the making of our movie?

Success in our role doesn’t happen by accident; it’s by the choices that are made. It’s about being available, adhering to the script and working closely with the Director. It’s about obedience, sacrifice, effort, attitude and core values. Choose a life that matters!

For your consideration:

James 4:13-15: 13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Psalm 39:4: “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

Proverbs 16:9: The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.