08/09/2026
❤️
This here’s a gate I hung over 35 years ago. Right in this very spot is where we sort cattle every day. It’s been a good one and served its purpose well. I’ve seen cows jump on it, climb it, kick it, ram it, and then turn around and jump on it again. We patched it up more times than I can count, but truth is, it was never quite the same.
Well, the other day, we had a bull come off a truck and started to jump clean out of the pens. He didn’t just try to jump, but he tried climbing out and then back again. He got about halfway up and the whole gate just gave out, like it melted. We patched it up the best we could to get through unloading that truck, and then had to turn around and load the next one.
As soon as I could, I called the welder and told him I had an emergency. Told him I needed a gate built, and I needed it as soon as possible. We cut the old one out, and he built us one that’s gonna last a long, long time.
The old gate served its purpose, but it’s gone now. Time to move on. I’ve got cattle to buy and cattle to sell, and I don’t have time to sit around crying over a piece of failed equipment.
Truth is, that’s how life is sometimes. Maybe you were successful in the past, but now something just isn’t working. It’s broke, and you’ve tried to fix it, but it just can’t be put back together. And that’s okay. Set it aside. Replace that broken gate in your life with a new one.
That broken gate might be a job, a car, a house, a relationship… whatever it is, just remember: you matter to God. He wants you happy. You’re not a failure. You just might have a broken gate. Do everything you can to fix it, but if you’ve done all you can, let it go.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to share.
-Bubba Rutherford
PS: You might be wondering what happened to that bull. Well... think of him next time you’re enjoying a hamburger.
