I love baby calves. Yes, this seems like a really odd comment. However, I saw my first one for the year on the way to work this morning and it really got me excited. When I was a little kid my grandpa would take us to my great-grandpa's cow farm all the time and I loved it. We would feed them corn and I would get the biggest kick out just getting to touch their nose. Believe it or not, when we were older we even used to ride along when they bailed the hay. (and "help out", whatever it is that we did at the time) Well, that's enough reminiscing for now.

As I got to thinking this morning the calves ended up being quite a reflection. When they are just born their fur is all matted and they have those wobbly, skinny legs, but let's be honest- they're still cute. Little forms of full grown creatures are just that way. They have done nothing to merit it, but they are. Hm...well isn't that just like us?

I recently watched an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Law and Order is one of my fav.'s because of the twist and turns that usually don't end up being horribly scandalous. In short, the mother of a child born with spina bifada was suing her doctor for not doing further tests that would have warned her of the child's condition prior to her birth. It was quite saddening...at this point the child was in her 20's and because of this lawsuit was questioning the love of her parent. However, her brother did everything in his power to make sure that she knew she was loved, amazing, and a special person. Each one of us has a unique beauty within us, no matter what physical, emotional or spiritual struggles we may have. How often we forget that!

Just like those baby calves, we slowly grow... It's a rather funny thing to watch a calf stand up for the first time. (or even get up at all when it's little) What a challenge! But, momma just stands nearby, probably agonizing over the fact that her little one could (and most likely will) fall at least once. Sometimes I look back on the past and regret the mistakes I've made....the times that I've "fallen". It is during those times that I forget that God uses my weakness as a part of his plan. Even when I do something wrong, or make a mistake, he uses that.

Someone told me an analogy once about the end of our lives. They said that when we get to Heaven, it will be like we are looking down on a woven blanket. The design will be beautiful, and it all will make sense. However, while we are here on earth, we will only see colors, parts of the pattern, and light shining through the strands of yarn as we look up toward the blanket, trying to catch a glimpse of the picture. For we are looking at the bottom of the woven blanket...the wrong side to see it's beauty.

I guess until that glorious day when we meet our maker we must settle for our wobbly legs....