How fortunate I always believed myself to be, growing up on my grandparents farm. Our house sat next to their property. There was just my Dad’s pond between our house and my grandfater’s fields. Living so close to one another was a blessing. We worked together for the good of the family.

Working on a farm in those days was back breaking sometimes. There wasn’t the kind of machinery farms have now. Sometimes it was just sheer will power and body strength that got the job done. Other times, the men had such an understanding of how to do things, they improvised all kinds of levers and pulleys…homemade machines to do difficult tasks. I marveled even then at what they knew.

One thing that always presented an issue was water. There was too much rain, not enough rain, standing water from rain, and farm roads with deep mudholes. These mudholes were for the most part easily navigated. Sometimes though, you could try to drive the wagon or the truck through them and become hopelessly stuck. The not moving, not going anywhere kind of stuck.

When my Pappy would find himself in this kind of situation, he’d put my grandmother in the drivers seat, tell her how to apply the gas then get behind the truck. He would put his shoulder to the bumper. He would push while she gave it gas. Sometimes they would get the truck to “rock” and then it would move. Other times it would not.

Next, Pappy would get the mule. Harness that mule up. Tie a rope to the bumper. Again someone, either my grandmother or my Dad would try to give enough gas to get that truck out. And most usually by then the hired man would have showed up and he would put his shoulder to the back of the truck and push.

I watched this process with their wagon too. (Except there would be no gasoline engine helping)

I think this is how they raised us. That when adversity came, just put that head down, put that shoulder to the wheel and push. I don’t criticize that. We most certainly need to be willing to do our part when the diaster may come. I am so guilty of doing this.

I have realized however, that Abba is the one who pushes me out of that mudhole. I can stress and strive and push and try…but He is the one who rescues me. He is the one that leads me out of a pit and He is the one who will always be with me.

There will be hard places. Places we will get “stuck”. But Abba promises to always be with us and He will always take us through.

“Becuse he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him: I will set him securely on high because he has known My name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisy him, and let him behold my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16 NASB