Chewing The Cud

When I was growing up, I remember my parents and teachers likening  “meditate” to a cow chewing its cud… said cow continues to bring its cud back up to chew on it over and over.  Apparently, that metaphor was pretty powerful, because that is still the image in my head whenever anyone mentions meditate. (Note to self: The images I give my children as I try to explain things WILL stick with them.)

Sometimes finding dedicated time for meditation can be really hard, can’t it?  I believe it’s especially difficult for us moms.  My children, bless their hearts, are not as deterred as one would think by a closed door—even a locked one—which I’m confident many of you have found to be true in your own homes as well.  Thankfully, we don’t need dedicated time for meditation, as a cow doesn’t separate herself from all the other cows to quietly and in an uninterrupted manner chew her cud.  She just DOES it—and we can learn from her on that! 

As I was double-checking the accuracy of the preceding statement about cows, I found something profound. (Well, profound for our purposes here today.)  Chewing the cud is a sign of a comfortable, happy and healthy cow.  HMMM…  Could the same be said of us with meditation?  Could meditation accurately be described as indicative of a Christian who is comfortable, happy and healthy in their relationship with the Lord?  I would say, yes!  When I allow worries, stresses, and distractions to take over my thoughts, I am certainly not going to meditate.  It is at those times, too, that I am not very happy or healthy in my relationship with my Redeemer.  Maybe that’s one reason God’s Word tells us in Isaiah 26:3. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,  because he trusts in you.”  Because he trusts in You!  That’s how our mind can be kept in perfect peace.  That’s how we can meditate on God’s amazing love, His Word and His promises.  That’s even how we can “cast our care on Him” for we KNOW… we TRUST that “he cares for you.”  (I Peter 5:7)

How I pray that in my own life I will quit looking for the perfect moment for meditation to happen and start meditating on Who God is and what God has done constantly.  May my life be characterized as healthy, happy and content right where God has me. And may the love of God on which I am meditating pour out of me onto all those that God brings across my path.

Maybe I can learn a lot more than I thought from those happy, contented and healthy cows, eh?   

If you’re looking for a good start for meditation today, I offer you a poem by Henry Collins written in 1854.  There is enough here to chew on to last you quite a while.

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All,

hear me, blest Savior, when I call;

hear me, and from thy dwelling-place

pour down the riches of thy grace;

Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore,

O make me love thee more and more.

Jesus, too late I thee have sought,

how can I love thee as I ought?

And how extol thy matchless fame,

the glorious beauty of thy Name?

Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore,

O make me love thee more and more.

Jesus, what didst thou find in me,

that thou hast dealt so lovingly?

How great the joy that thou hast brought,

so far exceeding hope or thought!

Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore,

O make me love thee more and more.

Jesus, of thee shall be my song,

to thee my heart and soul belong;

all that I have or am is thine,

and thou, blest Savior, thou art mine.

Jesus, my Lord, I thee adore,

O make me love thee more and more.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. I John 4: 9-11

Special thanks to “The Dairy Mom” for the information about comfortable, happy and healthy cud chewing cows!