Resonance

50X60cm, Acrylic on Linen
 
Photo credit: Gyula Toth (used with permission)
 
'Resonance': the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating
 
There is something about the forlorn sound of a cow's call that is almost nostalgic. Reverberating through the hot, dry Australian air, that call carries the heart of the land... the resilience and grit of the cattle farmers working the harsh conditions to keep their herds alive. The long seasons of drought, finally relieved by the summer rain. And the One Creator, who controls the seasons to bring just enough feed and just enough rain to meet the needs of the land. 
A Hereford cow lumbers along, her little calf skipping lightly beside, the dry grass softly crunching under his tiny hoofs. Known for their vigor and ability to find food where there seems to be none, this breed is well-suited to the harsh conditions of this Great South Land. Whenever the little one wanders too far, his watchful mother bellows a warning, her deep voice resonating across the stillness of the barren paddock. Though there seems to be little to nourish this little life in this barren land, his mother continues to produce milk from the few green shoots she spends the day foraging for. He is never worried, for there is always enough...
Hearing the strong, assured deepness of that sound, vibrating around me as if in an embrace, I am reminded of the One who provides all my needs. Though sometimes the life ahead seems bleak and barren, seems as if there will not be enough, I feel the promise that He will continue to provide. Like this confident little calf, with little worry of what comes next, I can trust that there will always be enough. And like old Hereford, faithfully searching for that which her Creator provides amongst the dead and dry, I just need to keep searching for his daily provision, in both the floods and the drought...