“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” Albert Einstein
Can you learn from animals? More specifically, can you learn something from a cow? Yes, you can learn something from a cow!
Cows are revered in some parts of the world. The sanctity of the cow is upheld and reinforced by some cultures, and even considered divine and should therefore be protected and venerated. Cows or cattle had, and still has, major economic significance in old times through the production of milk, curd, butter and even urine and dung. While some see the cow as sacred, others (like me) see the cow as a hearty meal.
So, how can you learn from a cow? By worshipping it? No, not by worshipping a cow (this is a Christ-centered blog lol), but by observing it in its day to day functions.
This is not an abstract concept. It’s very much similar to how the Wise Man in the book of Proverbs instructed his readers NOT to be lazy and to “observe the ant” in chapter 6 and verses 6-11.
Go to the ant thou sluggard… (Lol)
He states,
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long will thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall they poverty come as one that travelleth, and they want as an armed man (emphasis mine). (KJV)”
In this the Wise Man is teaching his readers to avoid poverty by putting simple things in practice. One of which is to avoid being lazy.
…then, look at the flowers.
Similarly, Jesus tells his followers to “consider the lilies of the field”. In this, He was teaching his followers not to worry. Matthew 6:27-29 NKJV states,
“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why so you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil or spin; and yet I say to your that even [King] Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these (emphasis mine).”
Now if the Wise Man (which many believe was King Solomon who wrote the book of Proverbs) can teach you not to be lazy by observing the ant, and Jesus can teach you why you should not worry by considering the lilies, I’m sure we can learn something by perceiving the cow!
(It’s worth noting, that both biblical examples reference King Solomon, who was gifted by God to be the wisest “full human being” to ever live. Both examples instruct the reader to learn wisdom from an unobvious source. Yes, wisdom and understanding can come from unobvious, sometimes seemingly foolish places. Don’t knock how you’re learning if the learning is right!)
So, while thinking of a juicy, well-seasoned steak dinner is appetizing to most, that is not what I want to focus on.
Let’s discuss the digestive system of a cow.
MOOOOOOOOOOO!
The cow has four stomachs and undergoes a superior digestive process to break down the rough and bristly food it eats. When the cow first eats, it chews the food adequately enough to swallow it. The unchewed food travels to the first two stomachs, the rumen and the reticulum, where it is kept until later. When the cow is full from this eating process, she rests.
Later, the cow regurgitates the unchewed food called cud and chews it completely this time before swallowing it again. The cud then goes to the third and fourth stomachs, the omasum and abomasum, where it is fully absorbed. Some of this digested food enters the bloodstream and travels to a bag called the udder, where it is made into milk that will come out of her teats, while the rest goes to the cow’s nourishment.
I bet you didn’t know all of that
Well, I didn’t either until I looked it up. Now that we all got the gist of the process, what can we learn from this often-overlooked process?
How can we apply this to meditation? We can take four processes from this:
- Relax
- Eat
- Regurgitate
- Eat Again
Sounds a little disgusting doesn’t it? Well, this is the natural world we live in. But take something from this. Meditation is a focused effort to relax one’s mind and concentrate or to think deeply about something. Although some think meditation is the act of clearing one’s mind and making it empty, it’s really a process of focused thinking.
In Psalm 1, the very first Psalm, the writer tells the reader that a blessed person “meditates on the law both day and night.” But why? The Psalm further says this is so that the person will be “prosperous in whatsoever s/he does.” But how does the biology of a cow fit into meditation? Let’s break the processes down further.
Ways To Meditate
- Relax – Nothing worth doing is done in a hurry. Probably the major hurdle of meditation is getting to a relaxed state! It’s not easy, especially with the world on a constant steady pace that makes you feel if you cannot keep up then you lose out. It’s not the case. The most centered and successful people take time (continuously take time) to re-evaluate and re-strategize their goals. This takes focused attention and deep thinking. In this world of shallow-minded people, deep thinking can be a luxury. (However, you must first relax. Get in a clean quiet space, take a few breaths and calm your mind down. (Make sure you actually eat something first. If your stomach is talking your not going to be meditating for long!)
- Eat – “Meditate on the law day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is therein: then thou will make thy way prosperous and you shall have good success.” Joshua 1:8 KJV There is a correlation with understanding and applying God’s word and success, and it’s a positive one! Feed on the word day and night (similar to how cows are always eating), keep feeding yourself the word of God until you are full. Think deeply about the words, find out what the words actually mean and think of ways to apply what you are reading to your life. Let it go down like a good meal that you’ve been waiting for after a forty-day fast!
- Regurgitate – Yes, vomit it back up again. After eating and swallowing the food, the cow coughs up or regurgitate the food and starts chewing again. This is so important, and the most important part for effective meditation. The cow eats, swallows, spits up and then swallows again. Why does the cow do this? It does this so that it can get all the nutrients and life from the food it eats so it can flow into its blood stream and provide strength, stamina and support to all its muscles and organs. The cow doesn’t waste any of that good food, it ALL goes to use and gets thoroughly digested. Make sure to bring back to mind everything that you’re learning so that it can stay at the forefront of your thoughts. Repeat these things out of your mouth by speaking the scriptures. This is a constant cycle of reading and repeating what you’ve read back to yourself. This ensures that you will be a well-nourished human being spiritually, which will affect your whole life.
- Swallow/Eat – Eat, then eat again by bringing the word back to mind throughout the day. After you brought the scripture back to mind eat some more food! Continue to go through this process to get the most from meditating in the scriptures.
It’s as easy as 1-2-3…4!
So, in all this talk about meditation (and divine cows and sacredness and blah blah blah), I did not mention the awfully familiar topic of yoga. For a detailed breakdown and historic view point on if yoga is okay for Christians, please read my article here.
Think of ways to incorporate biblical meditation in your life today. For most successful people, meditation starts in the morning; it is a good way to start the day off on the right foot and program your mind for success. Start with five minutes a day. Just wake up five minutes early and meditate. Then, move it up to 10 minutes. Here is a morning routine you can follow
Five-Minute Morning Meditation Routine
- Get calm, instead of watching the news or looking at emails, keep your mind calm in the morning and start from there
- Read Psalm 1, or maybe a few verses just to get started. You can also start in the book of Proverbs; since there are 31 chapters, this book is perfect to be used every month once you are ready
- Take time to think, digest and think about it some more. Some people use the dictionary, a concordance and such to get a better understanding
- Carry these scriptures and bring them to mind and speak them throughout the day