Newcastle University in the United Kingdom reported that they have discovered that cows give more milk when they are called by name. The study reports that cows will produce as much as 500 pints more when named. It seems the cows respond better to humans when they are treated as individuals rather than just another bovine in the barn. The study doesn’t tell us how to find out what the cows’ names are. It would seem to me that Ol’ Bessie would not want to be called Ol’ Jill. In fact, Ol’ Jill might even take offense at Bessie being given her name. What would happen then? Less milk? They might even be moooooved to quit giving altogether.
As udderly ridiculous (sorry) as it might sound, we aren’t too unlike our hooved friends. We all like to be remembered and called by name. It makes me feel good when someone I barely know remembers my name. It makes me want to go out and buy them a gallon of milk or two. I had a friend in seminary, I forget his name, that after his first day of registration went home and wrote down the names of over 200 people he had met that day. He even included something that he had learned about them. He had a gift.
God has a gift too. Sixty buhzillion people and he knows every single one of them, by name. Not only that, he calls to us, each one of us, as he leads us on the journey. “Michael, follow me. Jennifer, over here. Leslie, it won’t be long.” Can’t hear God? Listen closer. God might be speaking through someone or something unexpected: like a friend, a book, a song, even blogs. We just need to pay attention.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. – John 10
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