The “babies” are getting big! Our girls are almost 4 months old now. It’s time to let them explore in the pasture with the adult does. I opened the gate and let them out of their physically secure and emotional safe “kid pen” early this morning. Their tentative first steps turned into gentle hops and then exuberant leaps into the “enormous” new space. I could almost hear their thoughts….”This is AWESOME!”
Full of joy and excitement, they ran down the pasture hill – until, they saw the mama does. They skidded to a stop and looked back up at me. “Awesome” turned to “Uh-oh” in their beautiful, bright eyes.
The goats will need some time to get to know one another and to establish an acceptable “pecking” order in the expanding herd. All will be well – eventually. For a few days, maybe a week, there will be some extra head-butting and tail-tucking. I will be watching and the babies will learn safe new boundaries.
As we enter new seasons of our lives, we need to find the courage to take those first few tentative steps. Change doesn’t always feel good. In fact, there have been a few “seasons” that I’ve left kicking and crying because I disliked letting go. We get comfortable in our routines and roles and it isn’t easy to give them up.
Our passion and direction – even our identity, can change with each new season. Time passes and life changes around us, whether we like it (or want it) or not.The tighter the grip on the old, the more painful the transition to the new.
We need to navigate the seasons of life in a way that allows us to bring glory to God and praise to His faithfulness. HE doesn’t leave our side when we are faced with challenges and change. If we view the new seasons from the perspective of “opportunities” to Engage and Explore and Experience God’s direction in new and intimate ways – perhaps the point of the compass won’t intimidate us so.
“His steadfast love endures forever'” Psalm 118:3
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Cor. 1:3-4.
