Wednesday, December 28, 2016

                As a gift from a farmer friend from whom we bought our usual humongous turkey (28 plus lbs.) we received a goose – not a live one, sillies, but one all ready for the oven.  My maternal grandmother often prepared a very tasty, cooked goose over the Christmas holidays. I can’t wait until I dig in.

                My grandparents had a farm in Prince Edward County. They always raised a few geese over the year. As a child, I was deathly afraid of those geese, especially the ganders.  The ganders were always mean and nasty bullies. They would chase me all over the farm yard, nipping and pecking at my hind quarters and honking their disdain for me. I ran as fast as my little legs would take me. I swear that they were hiding behind the bushes just waiting and hoping that I was coming outside.

Fortunately, my grandfather had no such fear of these beasties. He’d warn them by shouting at them to “Shoo! Get away!”, and if that wasn’t enough to chase them away he’d pick up the gander by whatever appendage he could grab and fling the offending goose in the opposite direction.  That would always do it and I was free to trot off to the barn.

                I can eat any goose with an unwavering relish and joy!

                So here we are at the end of 2016 - what, if anything, is chasing you? What memory, what burden, what incident, what loss, what change, what argument, what injury, what event, what grievance, what wounded pride, what complaint, what gripe, what sorrow, what frustration, what disappointment, what discontent is pecking and nipping at your heart and spirit?  What are you running from or what, at least, what would you like to run away from? How often have you said: “I’ll be glad when 2016 is over” or “I hope that 2017 will be better?” Are you fearing what 2017 may bring, what’s hiding in the bushes?

I hope and pray that that all of you are anticipating the New Year with assurance, confidence, hope, fearlessness and courage.  But some of us, I know, hear honking right behind us!

                As often as the gander chased me, I still don’t remember that one ever actually caught me and hurt me; mostly thanks to my grandfather whom I trusted to intervene. It can end up sounding so facile and simplistic to proclaim that we need to trust God and everything will turn out right and fine.  Mature people, including mature Christians, know better.  But I also know that God will help me to make sure that no bullying factor of life will get the best of me – not without a fight at least. Sometimes, God has my back while I am running, but God also helps me face the backbiting, nasty, noisy, challenging, frightening, tormenting situations in which I may find myself. Sometimes, God chases the dark away; sometimes God leads me through it; sometimes God sends me people who get in the way and save me; sometimes God binds my wounds.  I could not run this race of living without my relationship with God.  Jesus taught me that! I am grateful.

                So, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and I are waiting upon the future – 2017. I haven’t much of a clue what the year will bring, But I know that I am never alone; I am not without a Defender. I am not without an Encourager.  I am not without a Friend. I am not without Help.

                “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:6).

                Therefore, have a Happy New Year! Have a drum stick on me!

Dale