Have you ever heard the expression “That got my goat.” That phrase has an interesting beginning. Owners of sensitive, high strung horses used to keep a goat in the stalls with the horses. The very presence of the calm, relaxed goat helped the horses to relax. On the day before an important race, rival owners would sometimes steal another owner’s goat. Thus the horse would not run its best the next day. How often have we allowed the trials and challenges of life to steal our goat? When we get sensitive and high strung, we falter and fail to run the race of life with patience. The secret to keeping things in place is given to us by the writer of Hebrews. In chapter 12 we are told that in order to keep our “goat” we must look to the “Lamb.” Looking to Jesus who is the “author and finisher of our faith” allows us to race consistently. Jesus was faced with all kinds of opposition yet we find that he endured refusing to act out of character. He would not allow others to put Him in the position of being manipulated. I have found that when anything “gets my goat” it has first gotten my attention. As long as I keep my focus on the “Lamb,” I don’t have to worry about my “goat.” What about you?
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