Safety in Numbers

I am sure that most of us can remember a time during our childhood’s when we were taught that there is safety in numbers. Whether we were going on a school field trip or to the mall with our friends, adults were always sure to remind us to not stray off on our own without a buddy for safety’s sake. As a child, I was extremely cautious. I was always aware of my surroundings, able to sense unsafe situations and never put myself into harm’s way. Looking back on it now, as I grew older, the voice of caution grew faint. I thank God for keeping me safe through years when I had no regard for what truly could have been. He’s watching over us, even when we are not watching over ourselves and I’m quite sure we all have had moments when we’ve realized that.
Friday night Aaron and I went to the South Texas State Fair. As we strolled among the concession stands without a care in the world (except what we were going to consume next of course) I was completely unaware that attending the rodeo later that night was going to remind me of one of life’s greatest necessities.
In the rodeo arena, we happened to sit directly in front of the pen where they keep the young calves before they are used in a particular event. Throughout the evening I found myself enthralled with their instinct to protect one another. Honestly, I missed a lot of what was going on because I was watching their interaction with one another instead.
Cowboys stood along all sides of the pen as the calves were ushered in. And what took place next is what really touched my heart. They would herd together in this tight knit little group as close together as possible. As one of them would be singled out by a cowboy to be removed from the pen, the entire group would move round and round the pen protecting the one calf that was getting pulled away by his tail. The calf being singled-out would bury his head down low beneath the other calves and the other calves would instinctively pull their heads up over the top and hold them close together to prevent the singled out calf from being seen. It was a beautiful thing! One by one as the calves were removed from the pen (not without a prolonged, courageous battle), the remaining calves stayed persistent in their protective stance, guarding one another from the cowboys. Even when only two remained, they stood together, without enough room to slide a sheet of paper between them and they worked diligently to protect one another from the cowboys.
As I sat there watching them, I couldn’t help but consider how much we could learn from them. It’s obvious that human nature doesn’t usually involve considering others before ourselves. Even if our human nature did give us a desire to put others before ourselves our society tries its best to make it impossible. But regardless of our “human” nature, our “spiritual” nature DOES require us to put others before ourselves. I have been contemplating what exactly would happen if as Christians we rallied around each other the way that those baby cows rallied to save the one that was being dragged away. I think of how often we sit in our church pews with full knowledge of another person that is being dragged away by their tormenter and we would rather turn our heads than get involved. I think of how many times in my own life I could have used people rallying around me, covering my head with their own, pressing their bodies up against mine, doing all they could to protect me from the things pulling me away from the herd. I also think of how many times I should have been one of those heads and one of those bodies guarding someone else with my own.
I’ve said all this to say this: We need each other. For protection. For strength. There is no power like the power of numbers especially when it comes to the spiritual side of life. There is nothing more intimidating than large groups, protecting one another, am I right? So let’s think of the flip side of that...the spiritual side…and all that we can gain from grouping together…heads together…bodies together…staying close…defeating the tormenter. How intimidating that would be!
So since witnessing these amazing little cows, let me share with you what I will continue to encourage myself in and maybe you too can take something away from it.
*Consider others in all that you do. Putting yourself first is a road to nowhere. Who wants to get to the end of where they are going and be alone?
*Remember what you’ve been through and be reminded that there is always someone else going through the same thing. Instead of treating them like they are beneath you because they haven’t made it through it yet, get into the pen with them and fight for them when they can’t fight for themselves.
*Be aware of your surroundings, and act quickly when you see someone being pulled away from the herd. Just as the first 48 hours are vital in a kidnapping case, so are the first phases of one of our own being dragged away by the things of the world that call out to them.

I believe that if we all group together, considering what’s best for those around us instead of considering only ourselves, we will be an unstoppable force in the earth.