I have especially enjoyed the stories
my friend, Pat, shares about her Farley. So, Jerry and I went out to meet him
this week. And before I go any further, let me say this is not a political post. This is about a four legged critter and his Biblical ancestor.
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| Pat's Palomino, Hudson, wanted to get into the picture, too, and gave our photographer, Jerry, a little fun trouble. |
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| Photo courtesy Pat Daugherty |
Farley, like all donkeys bears a cross on his back, the legend being Jesus
rode a donkey into Jerusalem, and later the donkey followed Him to the cross,
its shadow falling on his back.
I appreciate the Biblical story of Balaam and his donkey. Balaam heads
to a place that is at best God’s permissive will and not according
to God’s original direction. Unseen to Balaam, an angel with a sword stands in his way and the donkey maneuvers to save Balaam. Not understanding the donkey's actions, Balaam beats the donkey. That’s when my favorite part happens.
The donkey speaks to Balaam. “What have I
done to you to make you beat me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28).
Shades of Mr. Ed (a cultural reference that’s sure to date me).
Weird, but what happens next is weirder.
Balaam engages in conversation with his donkey. “You have made a fool
of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now”(Numbers 22:29).
The donkey responds, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden,
to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”(Numbers 22:30).
Then the Lord opens Balaam’s eyes to see the donkey was saving his
life.
Sometimes, we need a donkey.
We’re headed off toward trouble, pushing for our own way, and God allows something to stop
us in our tracks. We’ll blame circumstances, our boss, weather, friends, anything,
but we still won’t see the real issue.
Then a seeming donkey, or a vessel equally bizarre, speaks.
Even then, we’ll argue.
I’m thankful God is patient with us, but watch out for those times God
speaks through what seems like only a donkey. God may be saving us from what we can't yet see.
Farley didn’t talk to me, but I could tell he was thinking
about it.
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| photo courtesy Pat Daugherty |
