Day 15. The bull

 We currently live on a farm. The other day, quite by accident (obviously) I came face to face with a bull.  I was cutting across a field. I knew there were cows in a different field quite a way off so I wasn't expecting to come round a corner, over the brow of a small hill and see a bull slowly getting up from where he had been hidden in the grass. He was big. And he wasn't very happy.

You know that cartoon thing where the bull has steam coming out of his nose and is pawing the ground, head down, looking menacing? 



Well, to be fair my bull didnt really have any noticeable horns.  But he was huge, he was only about ten feet away. He was between me and the gate and he was definitely disgruntled.  He was pawing the ground and grunting loudly.  I was not frightened. Which was quite interesting.  I'll try to describe my thought process in this unexpected and somewhat dangerous situation

I saw the bull and the bull saw me. I stopped and stood very still and he stayed where he was.  I thought about the fact that people get trampled by bulls. I thought about the fact that Keith wasn't at home so there was nobody I could call on for help. I could see the gate to the field on the far side of the bull and wondered if I could just walk round the beast and climb over the gate.  I reckoned that the only other exit was behind me and round a corner.  In the three seconds it took for me to think these things the bull decided to move towards me .  I stayed where I was.  I was definitely on high alert. But I wasn't really scared.  I started to talk to the animal telling it that it was fine, I wasn't out to do him any harm and that he didn't want to do me any harm either.  He came right up to me and stood so close that I actually put my hand on his forehead - as if in some way I could just stop him coming any closer by pushing him back.  He licked my hand.  I kept talking to him.   All the time I was thinking that people do get trampled by bulls, but at the same time I was rationalising that in order to be trampled the bull would have to be charging or moving at speed.  And we were both standing still. So trampling didn't seem to be likely.

However, I did still have to get out of the field and I realised that the only way to do that was to back up and round the corner to a place where I thought the fence was climbable.  The field was pretty lumpy and bumpy.  I told the bull to STOP! quite firmly and pointed my finger at him.  I backed up slowly, keeping eyes on him at all times but realising that when I got to the fence I would have to turn my back on him to climb over it.  He stayed where he was for a moment or two and I got a few feet between us but then he moved forward again.  I got the feeling that he wasnt really cross with me, more a bit surprised that his early evening kip had been rudely interrupted.  I was in his field.  He had every right.

I finally got to the fence and climbed over and breathed a sigh of relief.  The bull let out a few sort of cough/bellow/grunt noises as if to tell me to push off and not do that again. 


Most people would consider that being face to face with a disgruntled bull is a fear-inducing situation. But I didnt really feel fear.  And I think that is really interesting and Im asking myself why.   Partly it is because fear is definitely not my default.  Its not the first place my mind goes in scary situations.  I think I tend to go instead to an analytical place. I lock into the facts of the situation.  The truth.   In this case the facts were that I wasn't threatening the bull so he had no real reason to charge me.  If he wasn't going to charge I wasn't going to be trampled and there was most probably a way to get out of the situation.  The other thing that kicked in was a deeply held belief that actually we, mankind, have been given dominion over animalkind.  I think that if we truly walked in the authority and grace Jesus gives us we would have a very different relationship with animals.  In Eden Adam had no fear of bears and tigers or bulls and at the end of the age the wolf is going to lie down with the lamb. (Is 11.6)  We were created to live in harmony with all creatures and theres a foretaste of that reality already present on earth if we look for it.   So when I was talking to the bull I was really talking to him.  Telling him everything was OK. But also commanding him to leave me alone.   Im mad. I know.  But it works for me 😁

And then theres that peace I was talking about.  Even in the midst of an unexpected and concerning situation I had those peace shoes on.  I stood my ground.  I didnt turn and run because that obviously might have caused the bull to run too and then I might have been in dire trouble.  I wasnt consciously aware of it at the time, but now looking back I realise that the peace of God that lives in and with me enabled me to be calm, to stand still and be a peaceful presence to the animal, which Im sure sensed that I wasnt afraid.  In some bizzare way I felt that we were equals.  He was within his rights to shoo me out of his field.  I was within mine to demand that he let me exit without a fuss.

Every now and again in life we come round a corner and are faced with a (metaphorical) bull.  An online troll, a phone scammer, a nasty work colleague, a sudden illness, an unaffordable bill, a fire, a flood , an abusive someone in our lives.  Whatever it is, it always looks huge, impassable and dangerous.  Mostly we are on our own in these situations ( that's interesting isnt it?)  Here's my advice gleaned from my meeting with the bull.

1) Stop. Dont panic. Breathe. Look around and make as accurate an assessment of the real facts as you can

2) try to put some space between you and the problem.  If you can, take a step back for a minute. Dont be tempted to respond straight away.  Dont be threatened by 'it'.  Remind yourself that you are a child of God and that He has got you

3) Speak to it.  Tell the issue that you belong to God and that it has no authority to bring fear to your doorstep.  Tell it that you resist and rebuke the feelings it is provoking and declare that you are not going to be bullied by fear.

4) Ask God for His peace which passes understanding.  See yourself putting on the shoes of peace which are going to help you stand firm.  Take a moment to sit in His presence and to feel His love. Let His perfect love drive out fear.   

5) Dont hide.  Ask someone else for prayer, for wise counsel, for help.  The enemy will try to add shame and embarrassment into the mix. Ignore him. There is nothing you are experiencing and facing which loads of people havent experienced before. You will undoubtedly need help.  Ask for it.

6) Remember the authority that you have in Jesus. You are a child of the King.  Your Dad owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Nothing  NOTHING is impossible for Him and you are His ambassador. You have His permission to bring about His will on earth.  Resist the devil and he has to flee from you.  His activity is 100% illegal and you are the law enforcer.  

Hope this is helpful.   Cx

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