Country Chatter

I noticed this dirt path all around the fence behind the house and when I mentioned it to Gene he said, “It is the bull, he’s walking the fence.” I began to watch and sure enough, every day the bull spends a good portion of his day walking the fence. Today I went to take his picture and caught him resting on his walk.

Now you have to understand, he is not a slighted or mistreated bull. He has his own green, grassy five acre paddock with a harem of ladies at his bidding with no competition. But, up and down that fence he paces with his gaze fixed on the other side of the fence.

I wonder what he is thinking. Does the grass look greener on the other side of the fence? Is he not satisfied with his group of heifers? Does the pasture on the other side look lest restrictive? Is there not enough activity for him? Is he just plain restless? Or, does he not like the restrictive fence?

Maybe there is a lesson to be learned from Mr. Bull.

I wonder….am I content with my lot in life? Does the grass look greener on the other side of my fence? Do I wish for what is not mine to have?

What about the restrictive fences in my life? Do I resist the fence thinking that there is more freedom is on the other side without stopping to realize that I would be looking a the same fence, just from the other side.

We all have restrictions and boundaries in our lives but when we push on them we almost always get in trouble and create chaos. If we move the boundary fence on our property, the neighbor will get upset. If we take what does not belong to us, it is stealing and we are in trouble with the law. If our eyes lust after another partner, we break our marriage vows and destroy relationships. If we do not obey the laws of the land, we will end up in jail. If we do not follow the moral code of the Bible, our lives are filled with destructive behavior and conflict with God and neighbor.

One evening about dusk, King David took a stroll on his rooftop and peered over the fence to his neighbor’s place, a trusted official of his army. He saw Uriah’s wife taking a bath. As he gazed, lust filled his heart and he desired what was not his to have. He summoned Bathsheba to come for a visit and then he violated moral law. Bathsheba became pregnant which cause a downward spiral in David’s life. (II Samuel 11).

Fence walkers see the fences as restrictive. Pasture dwellers are contented and free because they only see the fences as boundaries.

Are you a fence walker or a pasture dweller?