Hello! Once again it has been a while.
Life just continues to be busy for us here. Our daughter will be graduating from college this weekend and it seems there is no end to the things that keep cropping up for us to be busy with. In the midst of this busyness though I continue to take my time apart to seek the wisdom of God. I spend my time most generally in my sunroom.
The last few months we have had our neighbors goose hanging around in our driveway. This particular goose has been less noisy than the last one and has less attitude as well. The neighbor had come to us and said this female had a thing for the mirror effect of the bumpers of vehicles and would look at herself in them. As the days progressed she began coming to our porch area to hang out. We have an issue as she leaves remnants of her being there. NO one wants to bring goose droppings in on their shoes. I have to admit there was some inner struggle going on here. After all the neighbor should realize this and do something about his erring goose. My husband began chasing her back to the neighbors barn. The neighbors daughter came a number of times and chased her back. On and on this has been the case. She has a mate and for a little while it seemed they were staying close to the barn and we thought finally it was done. Until a couple weeks ago she once again started her journey back to the drive way. Yesterday as I sat in my sunroom and I heard her honking and moving closer and closer to the porch. I sat up and paid attention to what she was doing. I realized she was admiring the other white goose in front of my porch. What you ask, "You have two geese? " No we do not have any geese, but what we have is two large windows that we have set for a wall in front of the little porch area. It is here she stands for hours on end gazing at what she apparently thinks is her lover. She turns her head one way , then the other . After a while she walks into my little porch are and she looks within longingly like she is thinking he will be on this side. She even runs her beak on the glass and rubs her neck against the glass. I feel a bit sorry for her. She is deceived by her own reflection in the glass.
You see, Alice, that is her name, has a gander mate in the barnyard but he is not enough. He does not meet Alice's idea of an ideal gander lover. As I sat watching her I gathered an understanding of this bird who has been getting on both my husbands and my nerves I was aware of her plight. But what about my own plight? Now I don't mean the plight of a goose hanging at my door and leaving nasty droppings that can easily be tracked into my home. And her latest thing hissing and at times heading at me threateningly. I am referring to the plight I have with my own desires for other things than what God has given me. Do you know what I mean? God has given me many blessings and sometimes I don't see them as a good thing. They lack in my fleshly desires some mirror like brightness. Maybe they seem less glorious than I would want and need. I was taken back as I watched that goose trying to get satisfaction from a window that has no ability to meet her need for a gander mate.
Where are you going with this you might ask? What I'm saying is I need to seek satisfaction in no other than my Jesus and his blessings. It doesn't matter what it might be that I think I have need of. I need to seek God and his ways, his will, or I could be like Alice the goose chasing after an image in the reflection of a window. Like, Alice, I will never be satisfied and will spend hours needlessly wasting my time when all the while I have what I need right in my own backyard.
2 Corinthians 4:18
So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Lord Jesus,
I know that I, too, seek what is not real satisfaction . I am in need at all times of your guidance with a strong push away from the things that seem to me to be the better and more desirable answer. Thank you that you will have no other gods before you and that you know that I need you. Thank you that you are the real deal! Thank you that you can use this goose to make me aware of my own self-seeking ways. Thank you Jesus that you will draw me away from the self serving and self satisfying ways I seek that are not from you. Help me to hear and obey you as you reveal these things to me. Amen
Life just continues to be busy for us here. Our daughter will be graduating from college this weekend and it seems there is no end to the things that keep cropping up for us to be busy with. In the midst of this busyness though I continue to take my time apart to seek the wisdom of God. I spend my time most generally in my sunroom.
The last few months we have had our neighbors goose hanging around in our driveway. This particular goose has been less noisy than the last one and has less attitude as well. The neighbor had come to us and said this female had a thing for the mirror effect of the bumpers of vehicles and would look at herself in them. As the days progressed she began coming to our porch area to hang out. We have an issue as she leaves remnants of her being there. NO one wants to bring goose droppings in on their shoes. I have to admit there was some inner struggle going on here. After all the neighbor should realize this and do something about his erring goose. My husband began chasing her back to the neighbors barn. The neighbors daughter came a number of times and chased her back. On and on this has been the case. She has a mate and for a little while it seemed they were staying close to the barn and we thought finally it was done. Until a couple weeks ago she once again started her journey back to the drive way. Yesterday as I sat in my sunroom and I heard her honking and moving closer and closer to the porch. I sat up and paid attention to what she was doing. I realized she was admiring the other white goose in front of my porch. What you ask, "You have two geese? " No we do not have any geese, but what we have is two large windows that we have set for a wall in front of the little porch area. It is here she stands for hours on end gazing at what she apparently thinks is her lover. She turns her head one way , then the other . After a while she walks into my little porch are and she looks within longingly like she is thinking he will be on this side. She even runs her beak on the glass and rubs her neck against the glass. I feel a bit sorry for her. She is deceived by her own reflection in the glass.
You see, Alice, that is her name, has a gander mate in the barnyard but he is not enough. He does not meet Alice's idea of an ideal gander lover. As I sat watching her I gathered an understanding of this bird who has been getting on both my husbands and my nerves I was aware of her plight. But what about my own plight? Now I don't mean the plight of a goose hanging at my door and leaving nasty droppings that can easily be tracked into my home. And her latest thing hissing and at times heading at me threateningly. I am referring to the plight I have with my own desires for other things than what God has given me. Do you know what I mean? God has given me many blessings and sometimes I don't see them as a good thing. They lack in my fleshly desires some mirror like brightness. Maybe they seem less glorious than I would want and need. I was taken back as I watched that goose trying to get satisfaction from a window that has no ability to meet her need for a gander mate.
Where are you going with this you might ask? What I'm saying is I need to seek satisfaction in no other than my Jesus and his blessings. It doesn't matter what it might be that I think I have need of. I need to seek God and his ways, his will, or I could be like Alice the goose chasing after an image in the reflection of a window. Like, Alice, I will never be satisfied and will spend hours needlessly wasting my time when all the while I have what I need right in my own backyard.
2 Corinthians 4:18
So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Lord Jesus,
I know that I, too, seek what is not real satisfaction . I am in need at all times of your guidance with a strong push away from the things that seem to me to be the better and more desirable answer. Thank you that you will have no other gods before you and that you know that I need you. Thank you that you are the real deal! Thank you that you can use this goose to make me aware of my own self-seeking ways. Thank you Jesus that you will draw me away from the self serving and self satisfying ways I seek that are not from you. Help me to hear and obey you as you reveal these things to me. Amen
