day 936: The Course To Pursue

"My child, listen and be wise; keep your heart on the right course."

 I heard this story on Sunday and I will do my best to repeat it as it was shared.

There was a farmer who raised sheep.  He had a neighbor who had recently acquired dogs.  A few weeks after the dogs joined the neighborhood, the farmer found his neighbor's dogs attacking and killing one of the farmer's sheep.  The farmer immediately approached his neighbor about the incident and asked that his neighbor curb his dogs.  The neighbor said he would try, but shortly thereafter the dogs attacked another sheep.  This time the farmer felt like he needed to take the situation in his own hands and began to think through alternatives.  The first thing he thought of was to buy a gun and the next time the dogs came into his farm he would shoot the dogs and be done with the problem.  But on further thought he knew that by shooting the dogs he would only set up a larger confrontation with the neighbor that could escalate.  So, abandoning that idea he considered suing his neighbor.  That too would cause greater consternation and also with the cost of a lawyer and a deep seated belief he had that suing others was not right, he finally looked into what it would cost to build a fence between the properties.  After surveying and realizing that the cost of fencing his entire property so that the dogs couldn't get in, that he couldn't go that route either.  So, standing outside at night and considering if he had any other alternatives, he talked to God.  The farmer said, 'God, I've thought of all I can do, what do you think I should do?"  It was then and there that a new idea came to the farmer and he thanked God for speaking to him with a thought he never would have had on his own.  The next morning the farmer took two of us his small lambs who had been recently been born and walked over to his neighbor's house.  He approached his neighbor and said, "I thought that your two daughters should have their own lambs to love and raise so I wanted to bring these little guys over as a present for them."  The neighbor was very appreciative and his girls were ecstatic with joy.  As the farmer was walking back to his own property he said over his shoulder to his neighbor, "Oh, and you probably want to be sure and chain up your dogs as we know they aren't very nice to sheep."  The farmer never saw the dogs on his property again.

God tells us what course to take if we can get our hearts right with Him and listen to what He has to say to us.  He will open up new ideas and ways of thinking for us on how to deal with tough co-workers, neighbors, and everyone else in our lives.  We just need to ask and trust His course.

Reference:  Proverbs 23:19 (New Living Translation)

day 112: Walking With Wolves

Have you ever walked into a meeting feeling like you are about to be fed to the wolves? You know that what you are going to present or talk about is of enough consequence that there is controversy in the room and even though you have tried as hard as you can to round up support from everyone involved, you know you are about to face those who disagree and are relishing the fight? I hate that feeling. It's the same feeling we get when we know we have to stand up to our boss for something that she/he disagrees. That knot inside of us, down deep in the solar-plexis just tightens and tightens until you almost can't stand it anymore. This is when we need to remember and know that we are not alone in our struggles and challenges. God allows each of us to be in these trying places so that we can rise to the occasion, lead by example, and respond to others in Christ-like ways. He doesn't say that we will always win the decision or that we have some supernatural power to influence others. He just gives us the internal power and courage (if we draw upon them) to maneuver through these situations in a way where His will can be done and we can be a part of His plan. In Matthew 10:16 Jesus speaks to his disciples, preparing them for what the real world is going to be. In verse 16 He says, "Look, I am sending out out as sheep among wolves." There's a not so comforting verse, huh? Jesus wasn't trying to scare them, He was telling them the way it is and the way it is going to be so that they and we are ready and prepared for the attacks that come in life. He later goes on in verse 28 to tell them to not be afraid and to have courage for no matter what happens no one can kill their souls. Ironically, I also see something else in the metaphor of the wolves and the sheep. We are God's sheep and there are others who are wolves. What can be more attractive, interesting, or compelling than a sheep to a wolf? A pack of wolves doing what they do, will all stop and take notice when a sheep is nearby. They cannot help themselves but to turn all attention to even one sheep. Today as we walk into the wolf pack, we can know that we are the center of attention. It will feel dangerous and frightening, but we have God on our side and when we are right smack in the middle of the pack, we are right where God sent us to be. It is then that we get to decide how we will handle the situation and the kind of God's sheep we will be. I pray that we all will be strong and courageous and be the model that God wants and asks us to be for Him.

Reference: Matthew 10:16 (New Living Testament)