Recently several of us were given a lesson in "presence and pressure." Our trip to Haldeman Ranch near Cleveland, Montana was an eye opener. John Haldeman is a legend among ranchers and has invested 1/2 a century of his life in working cattle and living on a vast spread of open land with some great and scenic mountains on the West side of the ranch.
During the roundup in November we helped John sort cows for the winter. His style is truly unique. He is thoughtful, doesn't move fast, and uses his body among the animals to communicate his directive to move to a certain part of the sorting pen.
His posture, his demeanor, his position near the animal he is cutting out of the herd or sorting into a pen for examination is subtle and unobtrusive. To us as city slickers we were mentored in pressure and presence.
In the large initial sorting pen, four of us formed a line with space of 15 feet between us as we made a straight line. John made sure we had the ride distance from the animals. There were times when we did not use our bodies to impose presence on the cows and John would quickly and in a single word or two place us in the right position. Our placement was ensure that only the cow and calf designated by John would pass into another pen for holding.
Some cows were less submissive and they kept us moving as we adjusted our presence and position to give authority and make them critters submit to the wishes of the boss.
Christ in reality uses His presence to direct us into the place of life where we will be the most productive. His presence is most of the time gentle and it is very deliberate. Christ uses enough pressure through the positioning of His presence to bring us into harmony with His purpose for us. James 1/1-5
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