Saturday, June 25, 2011

Cattle Branding

Posted by st at 6:30 AM

    So this last week I got to go cattle branding. It totally rocked. Some people call it cruel, others call it a necessity. For the purpose of this blog, we'll call it a necessity. The cow needs to be branded to be counted among the ranchers cattle. During the process it also receives medications to help prevent sickness later on down the road. We'll only use these two for examples seeing as how the process changes whether the cow is male or female.
    We used roping as the method of choice. Well, it was somebodies choice, but not mine. I would have preferred a squeeze chute, but I was just helping so I had no say in the matter. Anyway, with roping it requires a set of people on the ground to wrestle the cow into submission so the branding and vaccinations can be given. This causes both the cow and the wrestler quite some pain. My legs from my mid-thigh down are bruises and battered. Every muscle in my body is sore and I've got a few cuts here and there. Totally worth the pain so that the cow can be taken care of in the future.
    Although there are ways in which the comparison I'm about to make falls far short of complete, I'd like to make it anyway. In some ways we are like these cows. I promise that's not a fat joke. We need to take Christ's name upon ourselves, or His brand, and be numbered among His people. Moroni 6:3-4 says:
    "3And none were received unto baptism save they atook upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.

     "4And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and acleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the bchurch of Christ; and their cnames were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually dwatchful unto prayer, erelying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.
    So instead of being branded with Christ's name, we're baptized and take His name upon us. Then we're numbered among His people so that we would be taken care of in the future and not forgotten. Just like the cattle.
    Now this is the part that gets tricky. Comparing the ones doing the branding to God. Granted, the branding process is a pretty forceful event, but God does not force us to do what is right or be numbered among Christ's people. He would love it if we would do it on our own, but again He will never force us. He gives us chances left and right to learn and grow and become the men and women that we can and ought to be, and when we choose not to it causes Him great sorrow. Since he is God, He can't get hurt like the wresting crew working with the cattle, but He can feel sad for our decisions. He wants us to take the name of Christ upon us because He knows it is the only way we can return to Him. 2 Nephi 31:21 says:
    "21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen."

 

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