What One Cow Taught Two Brothers

Bible Reading: Psalm 37:3-4; Hebrews 13:5

The bus stop seems to get farther away every day,” Miles complained to his brother Noah. Together they trudged down a long dirt lane to meet the school bus.

Noah nodded, then Miles offered another complaint. “And this backpack…I think it gets heavier every day.”

As the brothers trekked to the bus stop, they passed a field of cows. Most of the cattle grazed on grass in the pasture. One cow, though, had found other vegetation to eat.

“Look!” Noah pointed. “That cow’s head is sticking through the fence!”

“Yeah,” said Miles. “But she’s not stuck. She pushed her head through those wires to reach grass outside the fence.” Puzzled, the brothers continued observing the cow’s long tongue as it plucked the blades of grass just outside the field.

“Why do you think that cow wouldn’t eat the grass in the pasture? There’s plenty of it,” Miles mused.

Noah shrugged. “Maybe cows are like people sometimes.”

“Huh?” Miles said.

“Well, God promises to provide everything we really need, right? I mean, He even sent Jesus to die in our place so we could become His children.”

“Okay,” Miles answered slowly, still not understanding.

“Well, that cow has everything she needs, but it seems like it isn’t enough for her. Maybe she thinks the real good stuff is outside the place where she lives,” Noah said.

“I get it,” Miles replied. “Like how I wish I could live in the city so I wouldn’t have to walk so far to catch the bus while lugging this backpack?”

“And like how I wish we had a bigger house so I wouldn’t have to share a room with you.” Noah nudged his brother, and they both laughed.

“Let’s see,” Miles said. “God loved us enough to send His Son to save us from our sins. He’ll never leave us. He’ll give us what we need, and we can be satisfied.”

“Yeah,” Noah said. “Because it’s Jesus who brings us satisfaction, not living in a city or having a bigger house.”

As the bus braked in front of the boys, they smiled at each other and climbed aboard. –Allison Wilson Lee

How About You?

Do you struggle to be satisfied with what God has provided in your own pasture? Life will sometimes feel disappointing; sometimes we will long for what we don’t have. But God is our faithful provider. He gave us His Son, Jesus, and only in Him can we be truly satisfied. When we trust that He loves us and He’ll never leave us, we can be content with what we have.

Today’s Key Verse:
Psalm 37:3 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Today’s Key Thought:

Be content with what God provides