A Distinctive Mark
By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35 (NKJV)
On the farm, we had red and white Hereford cows. Oddly enough I could tell them apart and I called them by name but I don’t remember what made them all different. Today, I’m just very grateful that in the 8.3 billion people here on planet earth, I am known and loved by my Creator. Sandy Kirby Quandt (All God’s Creatures) shares her own story about a distinctive young bull, Ajax.
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He was absolutely adorable, from his fluffy tuft of hair to his spotted legs. I’d encountered him at an 1800’s farm-life historical site. He was reddish-brown and white. He had a white strip along his spine. His legs were brown and white. However, it was his distinctive forehead that set this bull apart. Between eyes circled in brown and below two stubby horns was a star. I’d never seen a bull like him before.
Over several years, every time I visited this site, I looked for the bull. He’d walk to the fence, let me scratch his forehead, then wander off to find some shade or eat some grass. One day, though, I couldn’t find him in any of the pastures. When I asked a docent about him, I described his distinctive star. She smiled. “Oh. You mean Ajax. He’s been sold.” She must have noticed my distressed look. “Don’t worry. He’ll live out the rest of his days in luxury surrounded by a herd of cows.”
When I described Ajax’s distinctive star, the docent knew immediately which bull I meant. His star set him apart. I didn’t need to say anything else. It was one attribute that stood out. It was obvious. There was no mistaking some other bull for Ajax. Even as he grew, each time I visited the farm, his star stood out.
I want to live in such a way that, like Ajax, if someone described what was different about me, others would know who they meant. Not because I have a distinctive star on my forehead, but because I have the love of God inside me. A love that shines from within and shows I belong to Him.
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Heavenly Father, thank You for all of creation, including me. Help me to live in such a way that others see You in my words and deeds. Set me apart for Your glory. AMEN.