Teeny was the name of Ted’s pet cow. Now that would be a good name for a pet gerbil or mouse or maybe a pet bird. But who would give that name to a cow — one that weighed 1,500 pounds? The answer is that Teeny wasn’t always that big. When young Ted first saw her, she was a tiny newborn calf. “I don’t know if she will make it or not,” the vet was saying. “She is very weak, but she is worth trying to save.” The little black and white calf was lying in the corner of the barn. She lay there helplessly, with no strength in her spindly legs to get up and nurse from her mother as most calves do.
“Keep giving her the medicine every day,” advised the vet. “It will take time, but with good care and lots of love she might
make it.”
“Can I take care of her myself?” Ted asked his father. He had looked at the weak little calf with her big black eyes, and he wanted to help her so much.
“Yes, you can,” Dad said. “And if she lives, she will belong to you, and any calves she might have will also be yours, Ted. But it’s not going to be easy. She’s just a teeny thing and terribly weak.”
That is how Teeny got her name. From that time on the little calf was called Teeny.
Several days passed and Teeny didn’t seem to be getting any better. But Ted continued giving her the medicine, making sure she was warm, helping her get up to walk a little, and getting milk from her mother and feeding it to her from a special bucket. But most importantly of all, Ted talked to her, coaxing her to get better and scratching her head to show her he really loved her.
Finally, after several weeks, Ted could see she was improving. His kind treatment was working, and soon Teeny was not only standing up but running around just like any other frisky calf. The vet had said she was worth saving. Now as Ted hugged his little calf, he knew that she was worth all the loving care he had given her.
Do you know that God thinks you are worth saving too? He sent His own precious Son to die in order to give you everlasting life, if you believe on Him as your own Savior. The Bible tells us the story of a man who found a treasure in a field, and because of his joy in that treasure, he goes and sells “all that he [has] and [buys] that field” (Matthew 13:4444Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (Matthew 13:44)). The treasure in that story is the people who believe on the Lord Jesus. If you are one of them, you can know for sure that, to the Lord Jesus, you are worth everything you cost Him. His joy in having you as His treasure makes it worth all the sufferings He endured on the cross so that He could save you and have you as His special treasure. As a Bible verse tells us about the Lord Jesus, “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:1111He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11)). (The word “travail” in this verse means “hard work.”) This means you, if you believe in the Lord Jesus. He sees you, and He is satisfied.
Messages of God’s Love 7/31/2022