What is your job?

We woke up to a low and loud "MOOOOOOOOOO" the other Sunday morning.    The dogs were barking and the cow was mooing.  We squinted as we tried to open our sleepy eyes and get a glimpse out of the window.  Yep.  It was a cow.   It was actually many cows in our fields far and near.  Most of them were couplets of cows and their calves. 

The rancher who has cattle next to our property has been wanting to put cattle on our land for a year now, but has used other pasture because of the dryness of the grass.  This spring things are green and relatively lush for here.  This Sunday morning was the time for the gates to be opened between the properties and for the cows to have free reign. 

It really is a peaceful and beautiful sight with the black and brown cows on the green hills with the bluish/purplish mountains in the background.   The dogs were beginning to settle down as they realized that the cows couldn't get to them and that all they were doing was eating, and eating, and eating.   There was only one thing that the dogs really hated.   There was a white donkey in the field.  It stuck out like a sore thumb.  He was moseying around eating just like the cows.  The dogs did not appreciate the big white thing in the field.

We watched him and tried to figure out if he had a purpose or if he was just another animal that the rancher had that needed pasture.  He came to the fence and became fast friends with Isabel who was ready with some carrots.  He seemed like a gentle and docile old creature. 

The next time I was at work, I was talking with one of the midwives who lives next to the rancher whose cows we are hosting.  She said that the donkey is about as sweet as they come, and that he is invaluable.

It turns out that the docile donkey does indeed have a job.  His job is to protect those calves.  He keeps the coyotes away from the babies.  She told me that they got him about four years ago and haven't lost a calf since to coyotes. 

What an unlikely hero.   He is a donkey with a mission.  He herds the cows around and keeps the calves from wandering.  He reminds me of each of us.  We are placed in the fields, surrounded by others, with a purpose.  Be alert!  Do your job!  Eat your grass and occasional carrots, but be on the lookout for the coyotes.  Embrace your purpose-- seemingly glamorous or not. 

1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."