The Gobbling Goat

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23) 

All God’s Creatures—An Animal Lover’s Devotion - Devotion by Ashley Clark

My family recently took a day trip to a farm complete with cotton, rows of sunflowers, and farm animals. My favorite part? The goats. Always the goats. There’s just something about goats that gets me—baby goats especially. For a minute, I even considered whether my backyard was large enough for my own pet goat…but then quickly decided my dogs wouldn’t be as thrilled by the prospect.

As I walked over to see the goats, the family ahead of me began feeding them one of the sunflowers from the farm. Quickly, I realized I had come empty-handed and had little chance of getting the goats’ attention if I had to compete with a sunflower lunch.  So, I turned around and grabbed a handful of tall grass growing outside their fence. Would you believe those goats gobbled it down as if it were ice cream?

While this willingness to eat anything works well for goats, the same does not hold true for people, whether we are feeding our stomachs or our hearts. All too often, I allow my heart to gobble up things that will make it sick. I feast on gossip, worry or fear. I, like the goats, indiscriminately eat whatever is held out to me. Too rarely do I pause to consider the nutritional benefits of what I consume—whether it aligns with those things God has called me to meditate upon. Instead, I consume headlines and social media as well as entertainment, based on what is more convenient—the metaphorical grass on the other side of the goats’ fence. Why am I surprised, then, whenever my heart grows weak and weary? What I often forget is that God’s prescribed diet is for my own benefit. When it comes to feeding my heart and spirit, I know I need to be intentional about things I let in. That way, my own words, in turn, can be life giving.

“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34, NIV).

My Prayer for our local readers:

Father God, You have created everything from the largest to smallest. You have also given us eyes to see and the ability to learn life lessons from the lesser creatures. Open our hearts to learn more about You and Your ways. AMEN.