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Receiving Gifts

Most people feel very positively about gifts. We like to receive something for which we didn't have to work. One gift that I still remember with singular clarity was not of the usual kind. On the farm where I grew up, we had a herd of beef cattle. Dairy cows have the good sense to come to the barn on their own for milking, but beef cattle will stay in the pasture all night. This was not usually a problem, but we had one field which was separated from the farm buildings by a wooded area.

I don’t remember exactly how old I was. I’m guessing about eight. One spring evening after the cows had been released to that distant field, my father told me he wanted me to bring the cattle home so he could check them over. I was horrified. Though I’d played at the edge of the woods, I had never gone into it. I had never been more than a few steps from being able to look back and see the house.

My parents seemed to have agreed that this was a good idea and said they would drive me to the other side of the woods where the cattle were. I was to rouse the lead cow, get the herd moving and then follow them home. My mom assured me that the cattle knew their way through the woods and all I had to do was follow them.

I was far more frightened than I cared to own, but climbed out of the car and over the fence and watched my parents drive back to the house. It never occurred to me that cows were smart enough to make it through the woods and back to the barn without human help. However, I did as I was told. I got Daisy headed toward the open gate, mobilized the herd behind her and followed the last animal through.

I’m here today to tell you that I survived that hike through the woods. I admit I was overcome with relief when we came through the other side and I could see the farm buildings. To this day, I don’t know if my parents had thought of it at the time, but they gave me a precious gift. They gave me independence. From that time on, I explored the woods every opportunity I had and never feared going there again.

Since then, I also discovered that God’s best gifts often come in similar ways – by asking us to experience something we’d rather not. God invites us to begin a relationship with Him by faith. That pleases Him. It’s not our first choice. We like to move forward according to what is familiar to us, or failing that, according to what we can see. But God tells us in the Bible that without faith it is impossible to please Him, and whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)

Ron Hughes
© March 2009