It was a beautiful opening morning for deer season in Central Texas. My feeder was full and corn was spread about. The stand was high and comfortable. The day before (without a rifle) I saw a trophy-sized buck! It was going to be a GREAT morning!
As the first light began to break I saw movement. It was coming toward the feeder! Wait! There were more! Two...three....four...five...etc. TWENTY FOUR white ghosts with brown ears...GOATS!! They moved under the stand and began to vaccuum each grain there. After several minutes they moved out and around the stand. It appeared they were leaving and ONE GOAT back under the stand found a grain of corn so all twenty-fout made a dash for the feeder. I was livid! I began to beat on the stand and yell things in goat language. They totally ignored me. I climbed down from the stand and walked toward the herd waving my arms. Finally I picked up rocks and tossed them. One began to run and they soon were all gone. Relieved, but knowing this perfect morning was shot. I crawled back in the stand......and began to scan the horizon....and I saw them. Twenty-four flop-eared goats coming back for anything or nothing. Now they had competition. A black bull and four cows showed up and took over. They stayed another thirty minutes. All of this REALLY GOT MY GOAT! So, I settled back in my chair and laughed a little. Hey, this isn't the stock-market cratering. These are simple creatures of God's creation doing what they do. Eat.
Do THINGS or ANIMALS or PEOPLE ever "get your goat"? Sure they do. You can scream and get with them and toss rocks and get red in the face. It doesn't change the goats, but it sure affects us. I learned a little lesson about what to do when things get my goat. I don't promise to practice it all the time but I will try. A Bible verse: "All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left." If you will read the rest of this story in Matthew 25 you will quickly realize how important it is to be with the sheep instead of the goats. For now we have to live with them. Share the Word and goats can become gentle, obedient sheep. I am glad I'm on the right side. Yep, they really got my goat!
