Why God Made a Rancher?

This week, we are excited to reuse an insightful and wisdom-packed post from one of our personal favorite Facebook pages, Jolyn Smith at Arizona Ranch Reflections. If you don’t already follow this page, we highly recommend you start because she posts some of the most beautiful photos from southern Arizona and then adds incredible knowledge and insight. Learn more about Jolyn below and then enjoy her post!

Jolyn Smith is a fourth-generation Arizona rancher who along with her husband Shane have a cow-calf operation raising Brangus cattle in the Dragoon area. Ranching for her has been the best way to raise up a family, and she feels blessed beyond measure to have been able to teach her children how to be stewards of the land, to appreciate the beautiful things that God has created all around them, and how to be cattlemen. She is proud to be able to enlist the help of her “top hands” when needed and loves it, even more, when the 6.5 grandchildren tag along learning that when you do something you love, it doesn’t work.

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Originally posted March 6th, Arizona Ranch Reflections

Found this little guy out in the pasture last week. He is extra tiny, I thought possibly a little premature or a twin judging by the hair on his hide. He was barely able to walk, and he was really weak and dehydrated. We brought him home and have been nursing him night and day.

We went out and found his mother the same day we found him, she wanted her baby but she is pretty tall, and he just couldn’t reach her bag, he’s seriously that tiny. I also confirmed my suspicions that he might be premature because the momma barely had a bag at all. I don’t think he was a twin. This momma has been a good cow and has had four healthy, perfectly normal calves before, so she’ll get another chance.

He has overcome his dehydration and his bowel issues, he is much stronger now, and he sorta chases me around the yard wanting more milk, he’s still very slow, but it seems like he might make it!

Of course, we have all loved him since we found him, problems and all. Two of my littlest Grandgirls are excited for him to go live with them, hopefully, this week. Poor guy, I can’t even imagine what his name will be! The littles went to the Zoo with their parents, and the older of the two got a giraffe stuffed animal and named it “monkey,” so it really is hard to say what his name will end up being!

It has been a challenge to help him overcome his weaknesses and the things he has struggled with in his short little life, had we not found him, he never would have lived out in the “wild.” Some would say it’s silly to spend the time and effort, but I guess that’s why God made a rancher. It’s just what we do.

I couldn’t help but think that this is how our Heavenly Father is with us. We each have weaknesses, problems, and bad habits. He’s not waiting to love us until after we have overcome these things, like us loving this little calf; He loves us right now, today, with a full understanding and knowledge of our struggles. He is here to help us along, day or night; we can’t survive out in this “wild” without Him.

And why yes, it’s all good that he sleeps in my kitchen at night wearing one of my shirts!

Have a blessed day and remember you are loved… just the way you are!