Separation Anxiety: Cows, Calves, and People

Separation Anxiety: Cows, Calves, and People 



Cows and calves are interesting creatures, as are the folks who tend them.


My knowledge of bovines is limited. As a child, spending time with Granddaddy and his cows gave me some of my favorite childhood memories. I smile every time I recall milking his cow named Connie or letting her calf suck my finger.


Several weeks ago, my husband, Guy, and I spent a couple of days with our new friends J.D. and Diane on their ranch. What a great time we had, sharing life and getting better acquainted with this precious couple. 


They welcomed us with arms wide open, extending Texas hospitality beyond our expectations. It occurred to me that though we were newly acquainted, we already loved one another. The common bond was Jesus and we all knew it beforehand. We were brethren, after all.  


Guy and I soon discovered that J.D. is a good teacher and the first thing we learned from him is that he loves his animals. His dog, bull, donkeys, and herd of cows are blessed creatures to have him as their owner.


One of the many things he taught us about cows deals with the anxiety of weaning a calf from its mother. J.D. says there are different methods, but he prefers what seems to be the most humane. 

Photo by Connie Wohlford at the Cross-Dubya Ranch

He puts each in a pasture separated by a wire fence so they can at least be close together. For a while they fret and bawl but eventually adjust. The calf will have already begun to eat grown-up food and soon realizes it is not dependent on its mother’s milk.  



This recently attained cow lesson came to mind when I encountered a cow/calf story in my Bible. 



The Philistines were longtime enemies of God’s people, the Israelites. They were elated to have defeated the Israelites in a battle in which they captured the Ark of God. Acquiring the Ark dealt a heavy blow to God’s people because it represented the presence of God. (The story is recorded in 1 Samuel, chapters 4-6.)


The Philistines took their prize to Ashdod and placed it in the house of Dagon next to the statue of their god, Dagon. The next morning the people found that Dagon had “fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So, they took Dagon and set it in its place again” (1 Samuel 5:3).

Internet Photo

When the sun rose the next day, they found Dagon again on the floor—this time broken into four parts. In addition, the people of Ashdod and surrounding area were struck with a plague. 


Knowing they needed to get the Ark from their midst, they took it to their neighbors in Gath. As the gift that keeps on giving, the people of Gath experienced the plague as well. 


“Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, ‘They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people!’” (1 Samuel 5:10).


The lords of the Philistines gathered together and decided the ark needed to return to its own people. The question was how?


They prepared a trespass offering, consisting of items of gold, and devised a plan. They built a new cart to carry the Ark along with a chest containing the trespass offering. 


They hitched the cart to two cows which had never been yoked and removed their calves from them. Then they sent the cows, pulling the cart away and watched to see what would happen. 


“Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh” (1 Samuel 6:12).


Beth Shemesh was about twelve miles away from Ekron. The story continues, telling us the cows walked into the field of an Israelite named Joshua and stopped there. They had arrived at their destination.


Isn’t that amazing? The cows went exactly where they needed to go without being led by anyone. If that in itself is not enough, it’s incredible that they did not try to turn back to their calves.  


The Lord God of Israel guided the cows. He also took care of the natural separation anxiety which might have caused them to resist or to miss their mark. 


In these days of the Corona Pandemic, many are suffering separation anxiety. Separation from loved ones is one of the toughest. 


We could site many other examples. Last week a friend of ours could not be at the bedside of her beloved grandmother as she drew her last breath. Even newborns in the hospital neonatal units cannot have their parents with them. The thought of that brings tears to my eyes. 


Separation anxiety of school children from friends and teachers—of workers from coworkers—of friends from friends, is distressing for many people, especially extroverts. Our high school senior grandson and his friends are  saddened to have essentially ended their senior year in March with no more sports banquets, no prom, no baccalaureate, and no graduation ceremony, and no hanging out at Cookout or youth group. And separation of workers from their paychecks is causing considerable anxiety for a lot of people.  


But, lets remember the cows in First Samuel. At the point of separating the cows from the calves, God intervened. We’re told nothing more about the calves, but we know that the cows accomplished their task. They went beyond their own nature because the hand of God, or perhaps the assistance of His angels, guided them every step of the way. 


During this period of separation, God has a plan and He saw it coming from the start. He is ever-present and does not want to waste an opportunity to use the hardships we’re enduring to grow us and to build His kingdom. 


Let’s stay tuned in to God through meditation on His Word, prayer, and listening to His Spirit. Let’s embrace His leading along this unfamiliar road so we can reach the right destination. At this point, only He knows where that is located. Let’s remember the cows. 



All Bible quotes are taken from the New King James Version.

©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

Mix the Word with Faith and Trust God <> Part 2 - Unexpected Intelligence Agent

Mix the Word with Faith and Trust God <> Part 2 of 3 

Unexpected Intelligence Agent

In the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11 is often dubbed the “roll call of faith.” It describes several people, in the Bible, who are commended for their faith. If you haven’t read it for a while, I highly recommend you do and be encouraged.

One of my favorite people honored for her faith is a woman named Rahab. She was an Ammonite who lived in the city of Jericho. Rahab began to trust God just on hearing about Him.

She had heard about the God of Israel and the mighty things He was doing for His people. We’re introduced to Rahab in the second chapter of Joshua. 

For the Israelites, the forty years of wandering was finished. Moses was gone, and Joshua was leading the Israelites into the Promised Land of Canaan. The very first city to conquer was Jericho. So, Joshua sent two spies into the city to scope things out.

The spies went to the home of Rahab for lodging. She was a prostitute. Our first thought would likely be, “How unseemly! —that they would go to such a place.”

But…think about it. Men would come and go from her place consistently. And over-riding that fact, God knew the heart of Rahab and He had already handpicked her to enter into His plan. 

She had heard about Yahweh, the God of Israel, believed in Him and trusted Him. So, Rahab agreed to hide them in her home.

She said, “for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death” (Joshua 2:11c-13 KJV).

“So the men answered her, ‘Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you’” (Joshua 2:14 NKJV).

When the authorities came, looking for the Israelites, she hid them and told the pursuers, “They went that-a-way. Hurry, go catch them!” So, they left.

The spies promised to spare Rahab and her family. Then when the walls of Jericho came tumblin down, she and her household were rescued from destruction. 

Like Rahab, because we have put our trust in the God of Israel and His Son, Jesus, we have been rescued from destruction. 

It excites me to know the story of Rahab does not end here. In her ensuing story, we see a beautiful picture of God’s redeeming power. 

Was it not enough that the lives of Rahab and her family were spared? No—not where God was concerned. God is so good and His grace so amazing! Rahab went on to marry an Israelite named Salmon and her name turns up in the genealogy of Jesus, our Savior.

Salmon and Rahab were the parents of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, who married Ruth. Their son was Obed, who was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the most famous and beloved king of Israel.

As we continue through the descendants of David, we come to Jesus Himself. So, Rahab, the former prostitute, is in the family tree of our Lord. 

Here we see redemption. Rahab put her trust in God and was saved. The people we read about in Scripture didn’t have a Bible like we do today. 

They had the Word of God as it was given to Moses and as they witnessed God do mighty works. Rahab heard the Word of the Lord second hand and believed. She mixed the Word with faith and made a decision to put her trust in God. 

We must remember, God knows more than we do. He knows every minute detail of every thing and every one. He knows what the outcome should be. And He’s trustworthy.

Bottom Line:

“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them: but the word that they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2 NKJV).

In other words—They heard the Word preached, but it did not benefit them because they didn’t mix it with faith. So, when we mix God’s Word with our faith we have what we need to trust God. 

In the comment section below, please tell of a situation in which you needed to trust God this week.  Thanks so much.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford