May
19
2012
The Crossing
Posted in Salvation 2 Comments
It was my last stop of the day.
It was not a purchase day…it was a return day.
As I was driving on the small road that links two sections of the same parking lot, I had to pass a retention pond.
It changes every season…ice in the winter, water saturated after a spring storm, dry in the summer, and leaf filled in the fall.
Since it is spring, and it has rained quite a bit, there is water, marsh reeds, and geese.
I was just ready to drive along the last curve so I could park my minivan, when I saw them.
A family of geese.
Obviously, the two larger ones were the mother and father.
But which was which?
They came down off the curb in unison and I counted six babies…all with fur and feathers.
Even from my vantage point, I could see that they were incredibly soft.
Quickly, the line shifted, with one large goose in front and the other in the back.
The six babies followed the one in the front.
The other large goose stayed in one place almost like a crossing guard.
I determined that this one was the father.
I watched him stretch his neck up taller and taller.
Where before, the mother and father appeared to be the same size, the father goose now seemed so much larger.
I had a front row seat to all of this since I had to wait for all of them to cross the road.
The mother goose reached the other side, and got up on the curb…her babies following.
The father goose was still motionless in the road.
He prevented me from passing, even if I wanted to.
When it was all clear, and the goslings were safely across, he left his post and joined them.
He curled his neck and it seemed to grow shorter.
Mother and father were the same size again.
I could not tell them apart.
There were many shepherds in Jesus’ day.
When the sheep were gathered in their pen, the shepherd used himself as the gate to protect them from thieves and wolves.
Jesus used this common practice to describe Himself.
The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice…I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved…I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (John 10:2-5,9,11)
Jesus stands as our guard.
When we believe in Him, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.
We are held…kept…until that day when we will see Him face to face.
As our gate, Jesus took all the punishment the thieves and wolves cruelly laid upon Him.
The punishment that was meant for us.
He is the Lamb led to the slaughter…in our place.
I am glad that I saw the family of geese today.
It was an object lesson for me.
You hem me in-behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. (Psalm 139:5)
Our mighty God…in front of us…behind us.
Kept.
Protected.
Secure.
A great word picture! At the mill where I volunteer there is , of course, a mill pond, and every spring there is the same pair of geese that await the hatching of goslings. While the mother sits on the eggs near the water, he wanders about, often in the pond. But when people or critters show up, he comes over in a flash and raising himself up and spreading his wings, doing his best to protct her as well as the eggs– or the babies after they are hatched. I have gotten pretty close, to take pictures of the babies peeking out from under her wing. Though he is very alert, he seems to know I will not hurt them. I guess, to continue your analogy, it kind of depicts God watching us, carefully, giving us some freedom, but not letting us get too far away. Thankfully Our Father does a better job than this goose father: every year some critter gets them, dispite the father goose’s best efforts. Now then we could discuss perseverance…
Janna,
There is so much for us to see…if we just open our eyes and look.
When we look, we inevitably see HIM…just like you did!
Thank you for sharing this story.
Gina