The Goat is Out

Now I don’t usually admit this, but I have a goat. Sure, he’s not only mine. After all, the whole family enjoys his antics, admires his cuteness, and of course attends to the duties that he forces upon us. And while most of the time he is a barrel of laughs, lately he has been escaping the area allotted to him, and quite frankly he’s been embarrassing me.

Take this past evening for example. I was at the edge of the driveway encouraging the kids as they pedalled their bikes; they were making the kind of effort that every child should when conquering the pavement on two wheels. Passersby enjoyed the sight of course, and I received plenty of friendly waves and looks of approval. “Good job, dad!” I imagined them saying.

This all came to an abrupt end when the looks I received suddenly appeared to be directed over my shoulder, and someone finally said, “‘ummm…your goat’s out.” Yes. There was my goat, all two feet of him, out gallivanting where he was not meant to.

I sometimes wonder if similar things happen to the rest of humanity. We play with something in secret, we even befriend it, only to have it come out in the open and do us harm in the end.

The man who looks at pornography. The woman who envies the life and looks of her girlfriend. The person who covets power, or money, or both.

It seems harmless when all of this is done and said in secret, but sooner or later the goat comes out.

And when it does, it will not be funny or cute; rather, it will be that which takes away from what could be the truly great moments of our lives.

So friends, let’s take some ownership. And though your sin is not you, you certainly have to step up and deal with it.

Talk soon, Patrick

(Disclaimer: Patrick has no intention of getting rid of his four legged furry friend which happily goes by the name of Donut. In fact, he hopes you have room for a donut in your life too.)