For All the Cows

As I was sitting down to eat my hamburger this evening, I began to think about what a blessing God has given us with the creation of the cow.  Then, I started wondering just what the world would be like without cows.  Just how much does this one animal add to our lifestyles and how much would we suffer without it.

     I don’t think I even have to delve deep into the obvious, which is the fact that the cow is the largest producer of beef and dairy products.  I would challenge anyone to show me what other animal produces more beef than a cow.  From hamburger, to ribs, to steaks, the cow has to be the tastiest food out there.  Then we could get into the milk, cheese, cottage cheese, and the various varieties of other dairy products.  Yum!!  Without these delicious treats offered by the cow, we would have to rely on animals like chickens and goats to supply all of our nutrients and make sure that we are getting our daily meals.  That is quite a large task to ask of such small, inferior animals.  They should all be extremely grateful for their friend, the cow.
     Aside from food, cows produce many of the products we use to protect ourselves today.  Leather coats, shoes, hats, and gloves all come from the hides of cows.  Cow hides also provide for seat covers, bull whips, and upholstery for furniture.  Of course, we can’t forget men’s and women’s accessories such as wallets, purses, murses, and belts. Without leather, we would be stuck with using inferior materials that would not last as long or more costly materials such as alligator or ostrich.  I mean, who likes using cloth belts, they stretch and don’t even keep your pants up!! 
     There are countless other things that would be different without cows in our lives.  Without cows, we wouldn’t have cowboys, or cattle ranchers.  Without these men, and sometimes women, we may not have big trucks driving around with bull horns and cowbells attached to them.  Okay, maybe still the trucks (I’m sure we’d still have rednecks), but we still wouldn’t have the cow bell and horns.  While we’re on the topic of horns, we wouldn’t have college and professional teams using cattle and cowboys and horns to promote their teams.  This would be devastating to hard-core fans, not to have a reason to raise their index and pinky fingers in excitement for their teams.  And cow bells, not only do they serve as an identifier for the cow, but they make an excellent musical instrument.  Rock and country music would never be the same.  Country music may not even be around if it weren’t for cows and cowboys. 
      I could go on and on about the importance of the cow.  Cow, that word would be ridiculous if there was no such thing as a cow.  So would the words “moo”, heifer, bull, Angus, and Hereford, among others that I simply refuse to repeat.  The thing to remember is that the cow, perhaps, is God’s greatest gift to mankind.  We should be thankful to Him every time we eat beef, sit in our favorite leather recliner, root for our favorite team, or see a big diesel truck polluting the air we breathe.  Thank you God, for all the cows.