Goat Herding

“Maaa!” my goat, Malindi, cries. I have hooked a leash to her collar, but she doesn’t want to follow me out of the barn. “Maaa!” she cries again, bracing her legs.

“Where are you taking her?” you ask, curiously.

“Up to the brush patch, so she can eat the blackberry vines,” I say. “I know she’ll love them, but right now she is scared.” I tug on the leash again, but she doesn’t move.

“Maybe I can help,” you offer, coming up behind her. Malindi takes a few steps and I start walking up the hill. Step by step we go up the path, as Malindi looks cautiously about. Her kid follows, calm and unafraid.

“Good girl,” I say. “See? It’s not so bad.” At last we reach the brush patch next to the garden. The only problem is, I need to block off the entrance. “Can you hold her while I get some fencing?” I ask.

“Sure,” you say, and take the leash. But by the time I come back from the barn, the goat has started dragging you back down the path. “Whoa!” you say, holding on with all your might. “This goat is strong!”

Together we pull her back to the patch and set up a fence to keep her in. Malindi watches us, and then starts eating brush. But as soon as we leave she starts to cry. “Maaa! Maaa!”

“What’s the problem with her?” you ask. “She doesn’t want to be left alone,” I say, with a smile. “Even though she has her kid, she doesn’t feel safe. It will probably take her awhile to get used to this place.” “It’s okay,” you tell her. But the goat doesn’t believe us. “Maaa! Maaa!” she cries as we disappear down the trail.

“Maybe if I work in the garden she’ll calm down,” I say. “She sure is noisy!” When Malindi sees me through the fence, she stops crying. “Mmmm,” she murmurs softly, as if to say, “I’m glad you are here.” She settles down to eat again. Poor thing, she needs company. You take a turn feeding her plums through the fence. But we can’t stay nearby all day long, so soon she is crying again.

At last I have an idea. I put my coat and hat over a folding chair next to the garden. It sort of looks like someone is sitting there, but will Malindi be convinced? When she isn’t looking, I duck behind the shed. She looks around. “Maaa!” she cries, but then she sees my coat and hat. She calms down again, because she feels safe. It worked!

That goat has a lesson to teach us, don’t you think? Malindi couldn’t enjoy the brush pile, because she was so worried why she had to be in a new place. Sometimes we have problems worrying and complaining about things, too. When something is new to us, it can look difficult and scary. You might think that your parents or teachers are just trying to give you a hard time. But maybe they really have a lot of good things in mind, and you are missing out because you are thinking about the problems. Do you believe that your parents want to make life hard for you, or that they care about you? Do you trust that God is good, and that He is always nearby (not just pretending to be)? Look at His promise in Hebrews 13:5: “…be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

So stop worrying and complaining. Enjoy the good things that are being planned for you!