Stubborn?

 Some may say that I'm stubborn.... Some may say that I keep trying until I get it right.... Some may say that I don't back down from a challenge. But which is it? Many people have given me their negative opinions on how our little farm is run, and ya' know what? It hurts. On the outside, I brush it off and laugh; after all, it works for me! But deep down inside, I feel the sting of disapproval.

People think I'm stubborn because I stick with what works for me instead of using their method which doesn't work for me. I don't vaccinate my animals, or use chemical dewormers on them, and am consequently told that I am neglecting them and shouldn't have any animals. My calf if on mostly milk replacer, and people think that I was wrong to buy her since I "cannot care for her properly" (am I the only one who sees something wrong with paying $560.00 every single month for raw milk to feed a calf?). I keep my rabbits in the chicken coop, and am told that they will eventually succumb to mites, so therefore I am a bad person to try such a thing. My dairy goats get a very small amount of grain, and am told that "you just can't do that" and am given "the look".

The truth is that all these things work for me. I am not neglecting my animals by not vaccinating them or using chemical drugs. I use herbal methods instead and love the results. I almost lost one of my goats to barberpole worm during the summer, and got verbally slammed for using herbs to treat her. But lo and behold, she (the goat) recovered completely, whereas the person who wasn't happy with me, lost seven goats while using chemicals. I'm not trying to say that I have all the answers here, because I don't. I'm still learning; and am always happy to try something new. But I think sometimes we humans get so caught up in what we believe is the right way to do something, that we get prickly when someone does it differently. I know I'm guilty of this too, and am trying to do better about it. :-/

I think that it's also important to make sure that we are following the Lord's leading in every aspect of our life. Having faith can be hard sometimes! I remember when I first got my calf, I had hoped to keep her on mostly raw milk, but the Lord very firmly showed me that she was to be raised on mostly milk replacer. To some people, it might seem like I'm shirking; I got this calf with all costs thought out and then BOOM! she's on milk replacer instead of raw milk. "My" agenda was to keep her on raw milk, and I probably could have, but that wasn't the Lord's plan.... I can't see His whole plan for my life right now, I can only see what is pretty close at hand. What I do know though, is that I need to just trust Him. Yes, it hurts when people make false assumptions about me. Yes, it hurts when people continue to push "their" way at me, even though it doesn't work for me. But slowly, I'm learning to look past the hurt, and forget it. After all, if it's not in the Lord's will, don't worry about it, right? Easier said than done, I assure you. ;)

No, this doesn't really have much to do with farming, but it was on my mind, so I decided to go for it and type this all down....