This young man caught my eye as he was waiting outside the judging ring. He was holding tight to his black and white face goat that he had brought to the winter fair. While all the other kids were preening their goats before walking into the ring, our young man had the greatest grin on his face showing off his favorite pet for the first time. That’s the ticket, he was oozing with enthusiasm because this was the first time he had ever been entered in a championship show ring.One noticed that he was not nervous like his other competitors. You could see the tension on their faces, their eyes always looking at the judge to make sure that their sheep was standing in the right position looking their best. Our young lad was having a great time as he entered the ring; he was calm and beaming from chin to chin. His goat could sense that his owner was at ease so that made this fur ball calm and collected. While the other goats were bouncing around and jumping away from the other kids, our little fellow had perfect control of his friend. The two were in sync and you could feel their calm as the judge moved from one contestant to another.
When she approached our young man, he stood with quiet confidence that he held the prize goat. She had asked to look inside the goat’s mouth, not sure what this was all about, but our young man struggled a wee bit to get his friend to cooperate. That moment was priceless, so our image shows the precise moment when he tried to pry his friend’s mouth open for a look inside his dentures. It would appear his furry friend had better things to do.
The judge called out her best three goats and our young man placed third out of twenty-five entries. He walked out of the judging ring with the biggest smile that won my heart and expressed how thrilled he was by the whole experience.
Many things in life send us into a panic and make us numb. The current economic crisis makes our stomachs sick. I have been called over 60 times this year to staff on-site critical incidents that include fatal auto accidents, severe injuries on the job, and the sudden death of a co-worker in the office.
The God we pray to came to relieve the suffering of the world and wants us to experience joy in our lifetime. Perhaps, we need to look a little closer at the deer outside our windows, or our grandchildren crawling on the carpet or maybe it’s a wee small boy taking his goat to the fair for the first time.
We fear divine judgment, but we need to remind ourselves that Christ came to bring only mercy. So in a moment when you are feeling overwhelmed or not quite your perky self, take a glance at our young lad and allow the grace of God’s love to bathe you in His warmth and soothe your fears with a joy that can calm a nervous goat with a gentle heart.
God prays for us as we reflect: “…let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.“ (Psalm 5:11).
Lord I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are plagued with disease and fears that they cannot control. Calm our nerves and help us embrace Your strength and courage. Bring them joy.
