A Sermon in Life

Stop me if I told this one before... but I was reminded by the goats crashing through the property today.  They are not allowed on the church property- not just where the church building is, but the whole property.  It is private property and no animals are allowed on the property unless they are owned by one of the members (like "my" cows).  But the goats didn't get the memo.  (or if they did, they didn't read it, they ate it.)

There is plenty of fence to keep them out.  But the goats don't get the message because there is/just might be/may be PULLEEASE something to eat over here.  And it is very dry out there- nothing to eat anywhere and they are HUNGRY (for reference I believe goats always think they are hungry, but it is especially so during this drought.)

There is sometimes a goat herd with them.  But most of the time there are just two dogs with them, keeping them together, leading them, herding them, keeping them out of trouble.  Or they are supposed to.  The dogs are smart.  They know they aren't supposed to bring the goats here.

But one day I saw them and decided that it was my responsibility to remind the dogs they weren't doing their jobs.  I yelled at the dogs.  They looked at me.  I walked toward the dogs.  They looked at me.  I yelled uit (out) and walked toward the dogs waving my arms in what I thought might be a proper goat-herderly manner.

The dogs turned around and half-heartedly walked toward the goats.  The goats got the message.  Or at least a message.  They started moving, sort of kind of, toward the fences and gate to leave the property.

But some of them strayed.  Some of them got a little distracted by the possibility of a blade of grass. So I yelled uit (out), I walked toward the dogs/goats, I waved my arms.  The dogs got a little more energy and decided they had a job to do.  They began herding the goats.  Slowly but surely the goats went out the fence off the church property.

I used this as an illustration in church.  I am sure it was NOT the first time they had heard it, but it was my first time as a city-bred girl to really understand it.  God is the shepherd/goat herd/(me trying to be a goat herd).  We/the Christians/the dogs know better.  We are supposed to be leading a life that leads the goats toward the right place (and I suppose if we take the analogy to it's logical end, somehow turn them into dogs).

The people in church heard it.  They have probably heard it many times before- they LIVE on a farm. Maybe it made a difference hearing it from a rookie for whom the light bulb had just gone off.  But I think they probably just had the ridiculously funny image in their head of the city-girl Engish speaking Pastor trying to yell the one Afrikaans word that might work, waving her arms and trying to herd dogs and goats.

The goats are back, dogs and all.