My wife came rushing out of the house, shouting, “Get the horses in!  Luke called and said someone just drove through the fence!”   I immediately wondered how in the world someone could drive through the fence.   It was 11:00 o’clock in the morning.  The sun was shining.  But beyond that, the only way this could happen is if it’s an inexperienced driver going way too fast, or if someone had an episode - seizure, heart-attack, or something.  

Fortunately, the horses were down by the paddock.  I called them in and shut the gate to the pasture.  Then I jumped in the car and raced to the top of our driveway, expecting to find a stupid, crazy driver.   As it turned out, nobody actually went through the fence.   One of our neighbors, who I did not know, but recognized, climbed out of a huge Ryder rental truck.  It seems he was backing up or something and somehow hooked the back end of the truck on my fence and then went forward.  He didn’t know he hooked it until he had ripped out about 100 feet of fence. 

When I saw it, I was upset.  I had worked my guts out during the hot, humid, Florida summer and fall installing fence around our property.  Now, in a matter of probably 120 seconds, 100 feet of it was torn out.  

I calmed down.  I told the neighbor I couldn’t work on it right then but would come and get him in the afternoon and he could help me repair the damage.  It was an accident.  Nobody was injured.  The horses didn’t get out.  The neighbor didn’t try to hide or lie.   I concluded by saying “Things happen.”   Quoting Johnny Cash, “I don’t like it but I guess things happen that way.”    

Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”   When stuff like this happens, it’s difficult to see the good.  It’s not easy seeing hard work torn apart.  Plus, I didn’t feel like fixing the fence when it happened.  If he would have been more careful driving on a road, which is actually a part of my property and not a public road, I wouldn’t have had to fix the fence.  

But things happen.  The Bible says when it happens, it will work out for good, somehow, some way.   Maybe the good will come quickly.  Maybe the good will come slowly.   I know the good will come.  It’s just really hard to see in the heat of the moment.   I’m more than willing to accept good without having to have bad precede it.  

In the afternoon, I got my tools together, knocked on my neighbor’s door and asked him if he was ready to go to work.   After a trip to Tractor Supply, together we repaired the fence.  

So, did anything work out for good?   I think it did.   I got to know quite a bit about Ben.  He got to know some things about me.  I found out that he’s from Kenya.   He found out that I’ve been to Kenya.  We were able to exchange some stories and, we also discovered that we work pretty good together.   I began by working with a guy whose carelessness had disgusted me.  I ended up working with a guy I kinda like.

The work concluded with me thanking him for his help and letting him know that if he ever needs my help with anything to just let me know.   I think there’s probably some future conversations ahead.  

Do all things really work together for good for those who love God?  As Ben said while we were working on the fence, “I think this happened for a reason.”   Maybe it did.   Maybe Ben needs a father figure (since I’m old enough to be his dad).  Maybe Ben just needs to feel at home in the community.  Maybe Ben needs a friend.   

Maybe I do, too.     

It’s been said that good fences make good neighbors.   Maybe, maybe not.   Sometimes tearing down fences is better than building them.

If we’ll allow God to use our situations, He will work them out for good.