The New Calf and Handling Rejection

Last week we got a frantic call from out dear neighbor, Miss Shirley.  One of her cows died and there was left this 3 week old orphaned calf.  A little bull calf.  Her love for her animals cannot be matched.  They are her life and breath.  She would lay her life down for her animals and that is no lie.

Mark rushed over that evening with a friend and they tried as they may, but that calf was not going to be caught.  He ran up and down the vast rolling hills covered in grass.  Miss Shirley could not handle the poor calf being chased so ferociously.  She stopped them and said it would have to wait until the morning.  Mark went out several times to catch the precious one, and it was difficult when you could not use ATVs or ropes, just bare hands and love.  Until the calf would allow them to catch him, they had to stay back.

By the time the calf was near starved and weak, my husband gave it one more go.  This time it was a success.

We thought beyond a shadow of doubt that our loving mother cow, Marilla Moo would adopt this cute little boy.

She didn’t want anything to do with him.  She sniffed him with her big nose as the poor boy tried to find milk.  That’s when she pointed her horns right in his little face as she bowed her head telling him that her udder was off limits.

There was nothing to be done.  We couldn’t make her stand still and take the baby into her care.  She refused.  Mainly because her other big, fat calf was still on tap and was not wanting to share either.  Mark had to go out to the farm store and pick up some milk replacer since we do not milk Moo Moo at the moment.  I am hoping we will milk her soon, though.  He has to corner the poor calf into a little area just to catch him for bottle feedings.

You would think the little one would want to eat but he fights it all the way, running in the fencing and bashing up his little face until it bleeds.  His loving master is trying to nourish him and keep him alive.  Once Mark gets him pinned in the corner he can pet his soft and furry neck, sticking the bottle down his mouth and the baby starts to suck.  You can see a little blood on the nose from the struggle he made for himself.  Soon we hope he will be tamed and know that we only mean him good.

After the feeding, Mark left the calf out to walk in the sunshine and learn to be a part of its new herd on our pastures.

Isn’t that just like life sometimes?

Some of us feel abandoned or rejected by those that we thought were our friends.  Our Heavenly Father tries to win us back, fights ferociously to show his love for us and yet many of us run into fences of life that injure us in the process.  We sometimes run for comfort from other people instead of God, like the calf to Moo Moo, and they can’t satisfy us.  Only the Father, like the farmer who gently tries to lead the calf, can satisfy our souls.

We just need to trust him more like the calf needs to trust the farmer more.

Here is a little video we made this morning to show the process…