Well, it’s that time of year and everyone is getting up to date on their vaccinations. All of the cattle, that is! Cows getting ready to calve are being brought home from summer pastures and we are preparing the open cattle for fall breeding. It has been quite a few long days of syringes, needles and shots!
Each group of cows has been caught up and sorted. Open, not pregnant, cattle have been separated from those that are bred and each has been put through the chute to be wormed and vaccinated in preparation for the upcoming breeding season. The cattle need to be in top condition to obtain optimal results. Bred cows were treated and moved to proper pastures in preparation for calving. We have had our first calf hit the ground and are expecting quite a few in the coming weeks.
Some of the big cows were weighed, just because husband was curious! And when I say big cows, I mean big. Two of the biggest were weighed and they were 2,019 and 1,967 lbs! Those are big girls!
Occasionally, someone needed a horn cut off or a random tag was missing and needed to be replaced. After the long, hot summer, everyone was needing a little maintenance! Vaccines are important for the health of the herd; the same way that they are helpful for you and I. *Disclaimer: I am not promoting vaccines, nor am I against them, and this is in no way some elusion to current issues and vaccine related current events.*
Now as we worked cattle, I began to think about this activity on the farm and wonder just how God was going to use this opportunity to speak. Several days passed by and I thought that this may just be one of those things that happens on the farm that doesn’t have the life application that I was looking for. But suddenly, driving down the road actually, God spoke.
You see, the purpose of a vaccine is defined as the administration of something that helps the immune system develop protection from a disease. Some human vaccines come from “killed” viruses and some come from live, but weakened viruses. No matter the type of vaccine and how it is administered, the intention is to help the person’s immune system develop a response that prevents the person from being sick the next time they are exposed to that particular illness. This is no different for the cattle that we vaccinated.
Here is where God spoke: Just like those cattle were given vaccines to build their body’s immune system to fight future sicknesses, allowing you and I to go through trials and tribulations of everyday life is building our faith.
Faith is our spiritual immune system!
Follow me on this…Those trials are like vaccines for the problems in our life that attack our spiritual body. Faith is the immune response to the vaccine! Each time we are exposed to a trial or vaccine, our faith – our spiritual immune system – is getting stronger! The next time we face those problems in the future, our faith is stronger and we fight the battle much easier.
Just like after receiving the chicken pox vaccine, the next time you are exposed to chicken pox, your body knows how to handle that virus and you don’t get sick. It’s the same thing with our spiritual body. Once we have gone through that problem and been “vaccinated” for it, our faith grows and when we face it in the future, we won’t get “sick”; we will handle that trial with strength and overcome. Our faith fights the problem for us and we become immune to certain issues in life because we have been spiritually “vaccinated” against those “viruses”.
It’s the same way that David felt about the fight with Goliath. He said, “Hey, I’ve already fought the lion and the bear. I’ve already been vaccinated. I’m immune to the fear of the giant. My faith is stronger now and I will face this battle with God on my side and we will come out victorious.” (That’s the Heather interpretation. Feel free to click here to read the biblical account!)
You know what? That’s a good Father! What a wonderful and loving God! Many times, really most of the time, we think that our trials and problems are either God ignoring us or being mean or maybe they are a result of us just not being good enough.
But instead, it is a loving Father, exposing us to some “weakened viruses” in our lives in order to build the immune response that we need for the future problems we will face. It’s a whole lot easier for the body to fight that weakened virus than for it to fight and develop immunity against a raging illness. Our spiritual life is no different. We are facing lions, and tigers and bears…oh my!…in order to prepare and be ready for the giant!
Sometimes God allows us to face things in our life, in His controlled environment, in order for us to develop the FAITH response. We build trust and faith and when the enemy sends the big attack, our FAITH in God fights the battle and we win!
Take courage today! That trial may just be the vaccine that your faith needs to grow! What’s a few syringes and needles and shots…in the grand scheme of life? Watch your Faith grow you will be able to speak to your giant the words of David!
Really good analogy. Very interesting how you likened a vaccine as a small test/shot to let us experience a little, then we are prepared for the big trials etc.
Thanks. Glad His word spoke clearly!