A FARMER’S CHRISTMAS TALE
Dear
fellow travelers,
I
can never let this joyful season pass without again airing this old favorite
illustrative story. Every time I read or hear it and consider the truth
recorded in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians it brings tears to my
eyes. Be blessed as you read. Bless others by sharing copies.
It
is our privilege to serve Him all our days,
Ed Philippians 2:6-11
There was a farmer that didn’t believe in
God, and was quite outspoken about religion, Easter, and Christmas. His wife, a
believer, raised their children to be God-fearing. The man and his spouse loved
each other dearly with sacrificial devotion, but there was always what he
deemed “The Difference.”
One snowy Christmas eve, she prepared to take
the children to church. As always, she invited him to go with them. As always,
he refused, adding his usual “That story is nonsense! Why would God abase
himself by living on earth as a man? That’s ridiculous!” So, as usual, she
went, he stayed home.
Sitting at the kitchen table relaxing with a
cup of coffee and a hunk of his wife’s delicious Christmas fruit cake, he
noticed the wind rising as the snowing increased. Before long a blizzard
developed. He didn’t worry about his family as he knew, if need be, they’d stay
with friends near the church.
Suddenly he was startled by a loud thump
against the side of the house, then another soon followed.
Turning on all the yard lights he couldn’t
detect anything so he bundled up and went out into the driving storm to look
around. In the yard he found a flock of late traveling southern bound geese.
They were obviously disoriented and in despair. Knowing they would be safer in
shelter with food, he opened the nearby barn’s big doors.
Returning inside he, concerned, watched them
out the window. They didn’t go in the barn where he had scattered corn on the
floor.
Bundling up again he tried shooing them into
the barn. It did not work.
Then he tried laying a path of corn. It
didn’t work.
Next he tried slices of bread. It didn’t
work.
The frightened geese just kept honking and
huddling, not noticing the barn or what it meant to them; nourishment and
shelter from the storm.
“Why don’t they follow my lead . . . can’t
they see the only place they can survive the storm?”
He thought for a moment and realized they
wouldn’t follow him, a human. “If only I were a goose, then I could save them.”
he said aloud.
With that realization he went to the barn and
gathered one of his domesticated geese in his arms, took her to the yard and
released her on the far side of the stressed wild flock. Having full knowledge
of good sense, she waddled quickly thru the group. They followed to safety.
Though quite cold by now, he stood silently
with the blizzard howling about him and the icy snow stinging his face.
Suddenly it all made sense.
That is what God had done and he was like
those lost geese needing guidance.
Jesus, his dear wife and children, and
others, had been showing him the way of salvation, but he had refused and kept
milling about in life.
Suddenly the revelation of truth overwhelmed
him and he fell to his knees, begging God’s forgiveness and trusting Jesus as
Redeemer.
As the wind and snow relented, his soul
became quiet and pondered the wonderful simplicity of it all; understanding
what Christmas was truly about; the reason Christ had come. He then prayed his
first prayer of thanksgiving, “Thank you God for coming in human form to get me
out of the storm!”
No comments:
Post a Comment