Cows are herd animals and are typically very social. It is rare that you see a cow by herself for an extended period of time, but if you do, it warrants investigation. The most common reasons a cow will isolate are: illness, labor, and to hide a new calf.
While tending to a sick lamb, I noticed a Charolais heifer standing alone in a nearby pasture. I scanned the landscape for her roughly forty pasture-mates, but they were nowhere in sight. After I finished with the lamb, I decided to make sure that the young cow was alright. “Well girl, you don’t look sick, you don’t have a calf, and you don’t look pregnant, so I guess you don’t need my help.”
The next day I looked for the light colored heifer as the sea of mostly black cows filed through the narrow alleyway that led out of the main pasture and into the cool woods. “Maybe she went through first,” I thought as I headed toward the sheep pen. As I placed the lamb back into the pen with his mother, I glanced up, and there she was. Standing under the same tree, alone.
That night I asked my husband about her. “She won’t follow the others,” he said. “She isn’t comfortable walking through the alley because I put up a cattle rub. She is the only one who won’t go.” (A cattle rub is a piece of fabric that has fly spray on it). “Hopefully she will eventually go after seeing the others do it over and over again”.
As Christians, shouldn’t we be willing to stand alone just as this young Charolais heifer is? Rather than “follow the crowd” into spiritually perilous situations, shouldn’t we stand up and stand out? It will be interesting to see if this strong-willed young cow will stand her ground, or if she will eventually give in, and follow the others.
Hopefully, we will always stand for Truth, but we must be aware that we too can be convinced that what is wrong is right. We can easily become spiritually desensitized and follow the ways of the World instead of the ways of our Shepherd.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will give us discernment to know when we should walk through the alley, and when we should stand alone.