Encounter with a BUFFALO…I did not hand him a gift card.

Timothy and I went to Yellowstone National Park for the first time to snow mobile.  About an hour into the trip we came across 3 Buffalo standing in the middle of the road.  There were 5 snowmobiles and our guide was in the front.  We all came to a stop just before reaching them and waited just until they moved out of the way.  The buffalo were not super excited about our presence.  They did some head thrusting and bucking the air with their feet which made me question if we were going to even be able to pass by.  I was ready to call it a day and turn around on this “all day” tour.  As we are waiting for the large animals to move, Timothy is prompting me to get out the camera and take pictures (I was on the back of his snow mobile and he was wearing the pack that held the camera).  I was frozen still.  Fear had crept into my body.  I thought the more still I was, the more invisible I might be.  Nope, no camera for this girl.  The buffalo eventually moved to the left as we zoomed past on the right.

Before the Buffalo arrived on the scene, fear had already wrapped itself around me like an over grown vine.  To make matters worse, we were riding with pretty experienced snowmobilers and we were going 45 miles an hour around sharp curves that had no railing. The rails were under 8 feet of snow and just beyond the edge of the curve was the deep gorge of the Yellowstone Canyon.  It was hard for me to enjoy the ride, because all I could image was sliding across this slick ice right into the canyon.  I visualized the fall, the ambulance, and the rehabilitation if I lived….the works.  My creative mind was busy at work.  If you have ever rode one of these things, then you know just how rough the ride can be and how it constantly fells like you are about to tip over.

I had been praying all morning, singing songs of praise, anything to keep my eyes from gazing into the canyon and visualizing our death.  However, something happened on the trip that turned my fear into peace; it was on the way back when we encountered the family reunion of 18 Buffalo in the middle of the road.  My first thought was, “unbelievable….not again!”  Then it was (wide eyed) “we have to get by them…it’s the only way out!!!”  All I knew to do was pray.  Slowly…one by one, the large beasts walked right past us.

The amazing thing is that as I prayed, peace took fear from the roots.  I was reminded that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  When we feel that we are weak in ourselves, we can go to Christ, receive strength from Him and enjoy Divine strength and grace.  His power is also made perfect in all areas of our lives where we are weak.