Moooove Like A Cow

Are you frustrated with your life? Are things not moving in the right direction for you? Perhaps this might help…

My granddaughter is fascinated with cows. Every time she comes to visit, a trip to the pasture is in order. Yesterday I drove two-year-old Layla in my Jeep to see her favorited bovines and stopped at a spot where I was sure she could see them from her car seat. I lowered the window. “See the cows, Layla?” I pointed toward the small herd.

Her eyes widened. “What cows doin,’ Grandma?"

“They’re eating grass. See them?”

“Cows walking.”

“Yes, they are walking,” I said, surprised that she had noticed something I hadn’t.

Huddled together, the cows chomped at the blades and then simultaneously moved forward toward the next nourishing mouthful. Chomp, step, chomp, step, chomp, step.

I thought about this curious rhythm and wondered, Is this the way God wants us to move?

“Move like a cow?” you may ask, “That doesn’t sound like something I wish to emulate.”

Bear with me. We need to eat, too.

But we need more than physical nourishment. Quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).

For humans, daily sustenance is required. Equally vital is feeding on the Word of God. Regularly consuming proper doses of nutrients fuels our bodies to move and operate at maximum capacity. Regularly grazing on the Word of God moves us forward in becoming more like Christ, propelling us in the direction of fulfilling His plan for our lives.

If we are not moving forward, we should consider our diet and ask ourselves, How often am I ingesting—and digesting—the Word? Is it part of my daily routine, just as important as eating? Am I spending enough time digesting what I’ve ingested?

Digestion is a big deal with cows. A cow has four stomachs, each serving a specific purpose. One is a huge storage tank, which holds and softens what has been ingested. Another protects the cow from foreign objects it may have ingested during non-stop grazing by further softening the grass and forming it into small wads called cud. Cud is returned to the cow’s mouth to be chewed 40 to 60 times before swallowing properly. The third stomach is a filter, and the fourth is for final digestion, which sends nutrients to the bloodstream and waste to the intestines.

I know we don’t have four stomachs, but if we desire to move toward all that God has in store for us, we could take a few hints from our friendly cows:

•  Stick together. There is strength in numbers. Being prey animals, cows gather together for protection. Likewise, Christians, especially when isolated, are prey for the enemy. Therefore, it is important that Christians heed Apostle Paul’s warning: “Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25 CEB).

• Follow the lead cows to good pasture. Sit under the teaching of a good Bible teacher, usually your pastor, whose responsibility is to lead, guide, and teach you the meat of the Word.

• Graze regularly. Settle into your own rhythm of reading the Word. Chomp, step, chomp, step. The more you eat, the more you will crave. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119:103)!

• Spend time chewing the cud. Rest and reflect. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in digesting God’s Word and applying it to your life. “The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth” (John 16:13).

•  Swat off pesky flies. There will always be those nuisances in life that threaten to frustrate us. Swat them off and keep on mooooving! (See Hebrews 12:1.)

Dear God, thank You for all the ways You teach me—through the words of a two-year-old and ways of a cow—but mostly through Your Word. Through it all, may I learn to moooove toward You and Your plans for my life. Amen.