Bleating Buffaloe

Bleating Buffaloe

In panic I cried out,“I am cut off from the LORD!”But you heard my cry for mercyand answered my call for help.

Psalm 31:22

Have you ever watched a movie in which the hero or heroine, in utter agony, lets out a primal scream? The cry echoes across time and space. Shortly before my husband would have received lifetime medical benefits, he lost his job. More than a year later, the job search continued. Emotionally drained and frustrated, I decided I really needed a deep, cathartic scream.

Standing in the backyard, I called up all those nasty, desperate emotions from the depths of my soul, took a deep breath, pulled in oxygen from several surrounding counties, and then opened my mouth and let it out.

Unfortunately, the release sounded more like a bleating sheep, which caused my throat to freeze tight, the dogs in the neighborhood to bark uncontrollably, the squirrels to fall off tree limbs, the cats to screech, and an elderly neighbor to call animal control.

Bummer. No relief and only a sore throat to show for my pitiful efforts. I tucked in my proverbial tail and went back inside, up the stairs, and into my office, where I plopped down in my chair and stared at my computer screen.

After a while, I finally did what I should have done in the first place—I picked up my Bible. Thumbing through the verses, I found that God is ready to listen, in spite of my guttural shrieks. Our situation did not immediately change, but my attitude did. With several more months of waiting before more work arrived for my husband, and then a ten-month wait to sell our house, I felt that some days those primal screams would have come in handy. But they wouldn’t help, not like running into God’s strong arms.

—Lisa Buffaloe

Thank you, Father, for hearing our cries. Whether we think, whisper, or bleat like sheep, your ears are always open, you hear our whimpers, and you give us the answers we need the most. I know I can always depend on you, Lord. Amen.