Day 25: Problem
Singing My Way Through Write 28 Days
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“When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD, he brought me into a spacious place.” Psalm 118:5 (NIV)
The Problem With Goats
“No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you’ll find
You get what you need
~The Rolling Stones~
We often have summertime residents who move into the field next to our house. Oh, they’re cute, keep the weeds trimmed down, and spend most of their time quietly soaking up the sun, but they also can be a big problem.
Our goat neighbors are very susceptible to “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” mentality. They stare longingly at our lawn and hosta plants that are just slightly out of reach on the opposite side of the wire that hems them in. Guess what? Knowing they’re not supposed to cross over doesn’t stop a goat with a desire for what he wants. And so, with twists and turns they somehow get their heads, horns and all, through the square openings, push with all their might until they can just reach the forbidden blades of grass or lush leaves and all is right in their world…or so they think.
This is where the problem comes in to play. At sometime, most days I’m startled by loud, and I mean “help, I’m dying” loud, bleating that can stand your hair on end and make your heart beat like a drum. There’s no need to look out the window because I know exactly what’s wrong, the horns that went out the fence can’t go back in. The head-first pursuit of “greener grass” has left a goat friend stuck in a tight spot.
Ever been a goat? Yep, me too. See something we want that looks better than what we already have, ignore the boundaries, dive right in to get a taste of what we desire. Maybe we’ve spent too much money, gone a step too far, compromised, given in, taken too much, whatever it is, we eventually find ourselves trapped, tangled up, and stuck in a tight spot. That’s when we need to cry out for help.
“When I was desperate, I called out,
and GOD got me out of a tight spot.
GOD’s angel sets up a circle
of protection around us while we pray.
Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see-
how good GOD is.
Blessed are you who run to him.”
Psalm 34:6-8 (MSG)
When the goats wail, I go to them and attempt to help free them from the trap of their own making. That can be a problem again. It isn’t always easy. They are stubborn and often fight me even though it’s exactly what they need. Ever been a goat? Yep, me too.
It’s hard for us to acknowledge that sometimes following our desires for what we want leaves us in a tangled, desperate mess of our own making, too. We’re “goat-headed” that way. But it is often those very desperate-feeling times that we learn it is God we really need to satisfy our longing. Grass is greener over there? There’s something better, taste God. Have to have that shiny, new thing? Look again, see God.
The Rolling Stones were right. We don’t always get what we want (and we shouldn’t always try to), but when we call out, pray, and run to our good God, we will find exactly what we need.
Great analogy!! Yep, I’ve very often been that kind of goat! I like to think I’ve learned to do better, but it’s still tempting sometimes to be goat-headed!
Oh, we won’t talk about how often I act like a goat! Thank you for the laugh and the gentle reminder to stop insisting on my own way and boo-hooing when I suffer the consequences!
Love the analogy!
Oh how I love this story. I most identify with the one where you try to help them (because that’s what they need) only to meet with obstinate rebuttal (almost literally). Sometimes I’m a goat.