Longhorn Cattle Heel Flies Plus Podcast

What’s a Texas Cowboy Without Longhorns?

Old cowboys would be surprised to see how the cow business has turned out. Back in the 1880s, Texas longhorn cattle appeared on their way out. The hard winters forced cattlemen to search for hardier steer breeds. Herefords and others replaced the longhorns.

But after decades being considered an acronym of a previous era, longhorn cattle made a comeback. As it turned out, they’re a hardy bunch taking less care than some of the newer breeds. They survive in scruffier locations.

More Pros and Cons

A value that drives many consumers, longhorn cattle produce a leaner meat. Those old mossybacks exhibited toughness. They seemed afraid of nothing. That is, except heel flies. That’s just about the worst season in a cattleman’s life.

In the southern ranges, heel flies happen between the middle of February and mid-April. Those tiny flies sting cattle in the tender part of the leg. Just above the hoof, they lay their eggs. Field flies caused tough, old longhorns to scatter and panic. They tried to find water or bog holes to escape the torment.

Miniscule Menaces

Tiny insects can drive huge steers wild. Sometimes little enemies hardly seen give us the most trouble.

It’s that way in our spiritual lives too. We focus our attention on the big temptations. Meanwhile, smaller sins continually attack and infect us. The end result remains the same.

“After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15).

That’s why we must be in a hurry to confess and deal with all sin. Not just because of what it is now, but what it will lead us to as well.

The Pain Factor

Maybe if it hurt more, we’d do something about sin more quickly. If it inflicted an immediate, incredibly painful sting every time, we’d notice. Maybe then we’d stampede for the soothing safety of God’s Word and His forgiveness.

At least the longhorn cattle always know when heel flies hit them.

Stephen Bly

Circa 1988
Image by 1778011 from Pixabay

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