In the days of the wild and woolly West, a lone cowboy went riding through the valley and came unexpectedly upon an Indian lying motionless on the road. His right ear was pressed to the ground, and he was muttering soberly to himself.

“Ummm,” he said. “Stagecoach! Three people inside. Two men, one woman. Four horses. Three dapple gray, one black. Stagecoach moving west. Ummmmmm.”

The cowboy was amazed and said, “That’s incredible, pardner! You can tell all that just by listening to the ground?” The Indian replied, “Ummmmm. No! Stagecoach run over me 30 minutes ago!”

Dr. James Dobson used that illustration to open one of the chapters of his book, “Parenting Isn’t for Cowards.” He said it reminded him of what mothers face trying to raise more than one rambunctious preschooler simultaneously. Many of you can probably identify. As a father of six children myself, I know I sure can.

But you don’t have to be a parent to sometimes feel like you’ve been run over by a stagecoach. Sometimes that’s just the way life is. We’ve got more pressures and stressors packed into our days than any generation in history, the time you put your ear to the ground, it’s too late. You’ve already been run over.

Dr. Dobson could very well have written a book entitled “Life Isn’t for Cowards.” It isn’t. Especially if you want to live your life for Jesus. It’s just hard sometimes, just as Jesus Himself said it would be.

But take heart, for Scripture promises us that we can overcome even the most distressing circumstances if we’ll only trust in God.

“Let us not become weary in doing good,” the apostle Paul tells us, in Galatians 6:9, “for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

So, look out for those stagecoaches, and preschoolers, and whatever else trying to run you over. And don’t give up. God knows where you are, and He’s not finished with you yet.

Ken Letson is senior pastor of The Church of Shelby Crossings in Calera. To reach him, call 690-8260.