The eighteen goats were having a relaxing day, grazing in their pasture in the sunshine. Mickey, one of the little baby goats, discovered a place in the fence where he could slip through. What he actually did was leave the safety of the yard where the baby goats were kept with their mothers. He probably enjoyed exploring the bigger world for a while, nibbling on the fresh spring leaves of the trees in the hedgerow.
However, baby goats soon want the protection and care of their mothers, and they also get hungry and want to nurse. This little fellow shouldn’t have been out. If he had stayed where he belonged, he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble.
After Mickey had explored a while, he tried to get back through the fence to find his mother. However, he chose a different section of fence, and it had electricity running through it. When he tried to get through, he got tangled up in the fence. Not only was he stuck, but every second the fence gave him an electric shock, and those shocks really hurt!
Poor baby goat Mickey! All he knew was that he was caught in the fence, and it was hurting him! He did the only thing he could do—he yelped a frightened cry for his mother. He yelped and yelped, but his mother and the other goats couldn’t help him. They couldn’t get him free from the fence, and they couldn’t turn off the electricity. Who could help the little baby goat?
We don’t expect baby goats to know right from wrong and that he shouldn’t have slipped through the fence. However, most boys and girls have been taught to do what is right and not to do what is wrong. Now every child has done things that are wrong, just because they wanted to, and that is sin. Sin is a big problem for all people, young and old, and it has the power to take sinners into the terrible place the Bible calls the lake of fire. But there is Someone who cares and loves us and can take away our sins and set us free. His name is Jesus Christ.
And there was someone who could set little Mickey free from the electric fence. Even though she was inside the house, Abigail, who took care of the goats, heard his alarming, frightened yelping that came again and again. Something was terribly wrong! She rushed to a different room to look out the window, and she could see a little goat caught in the fence. She raced through the kitchen and dashed outside to turn off the electric fence.
Mickey settled down a little after he was no longer being hurt from the electric shocks. Then she went around to the far side of the pasture where he was still struggling to go through the fence. He didn’t really know her because he’s not tame, but Abigail picked him up and held the frightened little goat close and cuddled him. That seemed to soothe him. She reached over the fence and set him down where he belonged. Once again he was safe with his mother who was anxious to have her baby back beside her.
We’ve all done things or gone places where we shouldn’t have, and that makes each of us a sinner. The Bible plainly says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). It doesn’t take long to discover that doing what we know is wrong leads to trouble. But are we still trying to help ourselves, or have we called upon the Lord Jesus to come set us free? He would be so happy if we would confess to Him that we are sinners and want Him to cleanse us from our sins. He would gladly save us and care for us in His love.
ML-08/18/2013