DEC 2003
This is one of the first articles by John Copeland to be published in BVOV.
Prospering in a World of Cycles
by John Copeland
Have you ever learned a lesson the hard way?
Well, I have. One lesson in particular stands out in my mind.
A few years ago, I learned about something called “the cattle cycle.” I had decided to go into the cattle business when calves were selling for more than $1 per pound. A reputable cattle dealer was having a “big liquidation sale.” I did the math and thought, Man, in 2½ years I’ll have my money back and these cows will be good for another 10-12 years. So, I bought some cows.
Now the fact that the dealer was liquidating should have raised a red flag for me. I should have realized that if this man was selling his cows, he probably knew something I didn’t.
As it turned out, he knew the bottom was about to fall out of the cattle market. The next year calves were down to 75 cents per pound, and by the second year they were down to 65 cents. The result was, I bought high and sold low.
I paid a hefty price for my lack of knowledge.
Later I decided to go to school and get the natural knowledge I needed to understand how the cattle cycle works.
Cycles Can Work for You
We live in a world of cycles or seasons. There are seasons of plenty and seasons of drought, good times and bad times. That’s just the nature of this world. The life cycle and the death cycle have been in operation since the Fall of Man. Thank God, Romans 8:2 tells us that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made [us] free from the law of sin and death.” That means, as born-again believers, we aren't locked into the death cycle anymore. We can step out of it and walk in the life cycle of God.
But still, we do live in this world and the Bible tells us that “while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22, "Amplified Bible, Classic Edition"). Everything runs in cycles—from the food chain, to the weather, to economics.
22 : BVOV
