The son of one of my good friends bagged a nice turkey during the early youth season Big Tom Gobbler Hunt at Honey Lake Plantation a few weeks back. It was his first trophy gobbler, so dad decided to let go of a few shekels, (which grieved him greatly), and get it mounted if for him. I called a local taxidermist whom I’ve been friends with for over three decades and made arrangements for him to pick the turkey up.
He and his little dog came over this past weekend for the pick up, and we met at the Smokehouse. We were standing around talking and catching up, when I happened to notice his little dog cross the street and enter our donkey pasture. I watched with amusement as the little pooch approached the donkeys. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky and I suppose this little dog wanted to make the most of it by having a little fun chasing the donkeys around the pasture for a little while.
The probem with the dog’s theory was that donkeys don’t like being chased by a pint sized mutt that is a fraction of their size. One of them bore a colt on Christmas day which we appropriately named Rudolph (and call Rudy for short). She in particular did not take kindly to my buddy’s dog chasing her colt and she lit out chasing after that dog with ears laid back and teeth gleaming in the sun like a thoroughbred racehorse being released from the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby.
My buddy had not seen what had developed, but by now I was laughing like a hyena and pointing at the spectacle of that little dog racing across the pasture with that very mad donkey thundering along behind it in hot pursuit. That old mama donkey was rapidly gaining on the little dog, (whose legs were a fraction of the size of the donkey’s), and she very nearly caught up with him before the little pooch ran under the fence, crossed the road, and arrived at our feet.
Don’t ever think that a dog can’t have an expression of embarrassment; this dog had a look of chagrin on its face that was devoid of all remaining pride as he cowered between my buddy’s feet nervously looking back at that angry old Jenny. I looked over at the donkey and she had a look on her face that was the diametric opposite of the pooch. Her countenance was one of sheer triumph, and in fact she appeared to be laughing. She then balefully stared at the pooch as if to say, “You little mutt, you come back over here and I’ll make you wish you’d never been born!” She then contemptuously snorted and casually strolled back over to her admiring companions who were lifting their heads up and down as though applauding her victory.
Hmmm… What appears to be good natured fun can be deceiving and if we aren’t careful can have disastrous results.
Satan attempts to lure us over to his side of the fence with visions of grandeur and great fun, but in the end he can devour us and steal our very souls. Better to stay close to the safety that our Father affords.
The Bible states that our light should so shine that others will see it and want what we have. I imagine this as being similar to the moon, (representing us), reflecting light from the sun, (representing God). We are fully illuminated and filled with God’s glorious light when we are directly facing the sun with no worldly distraction. When the sun’s light is obliterated by the world, we go dark.
We need to stay at full moon phase by not allowing the world and the lust of it to block out our light and reveal our dark side.… We should look directly to the Lord always and let His light shine in our lives and make our shadows run.
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven