A
single old lantern hung from a hook above the stall. Will anxiously watched his father as he
worked with the animal in the dim light.
The young calf was not doing well; she had suffered a traumatic birth
and now seemed to have stopped breathing.
In his mind Will offered a silent prayer- “God, please help our cow to
live, help her to be ok.” At that
moment, the cow began to move- something had changed and she was breathing again. Although the night passed long, she did
continue to recover and became a very healthy cow.
Many
years later history repeated itself.
Will was down working with another sick cow, and his little boy stood
watching him full of anxiety and worry.
Will wondered if his boy was praying as he had done so long ago. Will also wondered why he was not praying
himself. He could see the calf really
was not breathing, he could tell the heart had stopped and she was now
dead. Why was it easier to pray and ask God
for these things when he knew so much less about the cows and caring for
them? Can ignorance help faith, is
ignorance bliss?
So, the
story might not be the most interesting (I have heard similar, but this one I
made up), but I like the question it brought up. It is something I had wondered about before-
specifically “Can ignorance help one’s faith?”
