In one of his Dallin H Oaks' BYU speeches, he quotes from Elaine Cannon. Here is the link for the whole
talk.
So what do cows and adversity have in common with each other? In Arizona, where I am from, Hereford cows are raised and sold for the meat. I love how we can learn a lesson from these cows.
In her fine book called Adversity, Elaine Cannon shares this valuable example:
“An old
cowboy said he had learned life’s most important lessons from Hereford
cows. All his life he had worked cattle ranches where winter storms took
a heavy toll among the herds. Freezing rains whipped across the
prairies. Howling, bitter winds piled snow into enormous drifts.
Temperatures might drop quickly to below zero degrees. Flying ice cut
into the flesh. In this maelstrom of nature’s violence most cattle would
turn their backs to the ice blasts and slowly drift downwind, mile upon
mile. Finally, intercepted by a boundary fence, they would pile up
against the barrier and die by the scores.
“But the
Herefords acted differently. Cattle of this breed would instinctively
head into the windward end of the range. There they would stand
shoulder-to-shoulder facing the storm’s blast, heads down against its
onslaught.
“‘You always
found the Herefords alive and well,’ said the cowboy. ‘I guess it’s the
greatest lesson I ever learned on the prairies—just face life’s
storms’” (Adversity [1987], 133–34).
Similarly,
if we face up to our individual adversities or hardships, they can
become a source of blessing. God will not give us adversities we cannot
handle, and he will bless us richly for patiently doing the best we can
in the circumstances.
Elaine
Cannon reminds us of an important way these blessings come and how we
can make the most of them. “When we are pushed, stung, defeated,
embarrassed, hurt, rejected, tormented, forgotten—when we are in agony
of spirit crying out ‘why me?’ we are in a position to learn something” (Adversity, 47).
