Entering the show ring with my camera in hand, I spotted a young lady with her camera ready to take photos of the same show.  I smiled at her, acknowledging her presence and continued to do my work.  We maneuvered around the ring, avoiding each other and patiently waited for one another to get their shot.

At nearly every state fair I cover I encounter these young women with a serious look on their face and they never approach me.  They watch from a distance and a few minutes later one of their co-workers comes to question my credentials because they are the contracted photography company for the show and no one else is supposed to be in the ring.  After I assure them I’m not selling photos, I’m just there to cover it for a website, they retreat and I spend the rest of the day dodging their side eye. 

This used to annoy me, until I changed my plan of attack.  Instead of viewing them as the opposition, I befriend them and treat them as a colleague, because that’s who they are—a respect-worthy colleague.

Last week I encountered three of these young people in Kentucky.  After we stumbled over each other, literally, I stuck my hand out and introduced myself and explained what I was doing.  From that point on it was instant mutual respect.  We compared notes, editing techniques, swapped show ring stories and frustrations.  We talked about where we grew up, where we ate dinner the night before, we laughed, shared electrical outlets and for every single champion shot, they made noise to perk the cows ears up for me and I reciprocated. 

Working on the same team, toward the same goal was so much more pleasant and productive than working against each other.  We were there for the same purpose, to promote the dairy industry while generating a profit, the only difference is our end product. 

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. In our world today, there are those who would like to divide us up by class, race, ideology, what we eat, what news network we watch, mask wearing and vaccine acceptance. But we all know the chaos division brings and how vulnerable one person is, as opposed to a group.  We learned that lesson decades ago at the expense of millions of lives. If we don’t wake up, we may have to learn it all over again. 

Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re the only one who feels a certain way. Likely there are masses of people who understand your frustration.  But if you isolate yourself because you’re afraid you are alone, that’s where you’ll stay—alone, angry, frustrated, full of fear and susceptible to anything that will sooth your soul.

The enemy’s time is short, and he knows it. A. W. Tozer said, “While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who has not surrendered His authority.” Believe it.  And then reach out and become involved in your community.  Get off social media and visit with your friends face to face.  Meet new people, smile at strangers in a restaurant, don’t be afraid to offer a compliment to a passerby. Serve your local school, give to your local food pantry. Take donuts to your local police department. Teach your kids there is such a thing as absolute Truth. Be the person someone looks to for encouragement. 

We are one nation, under God, INDIVISABLE, with liberty and justice for all…..if we can keep it.