Have you ever heard a goat speak? What did it say? Something about a baaaaad joke you just told it? Or were you just kidding? But then if you actually did hear what a goat had to say, you would be bringing it just about any kind of food, such as those green lima beans your mother use to make you eat.

Ok, so goats don't talk, but if you do hear one talk, don't tell anybody else, otherwise you might end up on the funny farm, eating food with a lot of goats.

OK, OK, OK, on with the sermon. I sometimes get on these kidding, sorry, joking binges and I have a hard time stopping. But then you have to have a little fun sometimes don't you? Because if you are serious all the time, you will turn dull and then you won't feel what life is really like.

What is life like? Is it a bowl of fruit loopers or maybe a box of cereal that has that all important trading card to complete your set? But then you keep getting the same card over and over again. You know, the one that everybody else gets. But you keep buying box after box until you get one that has the prize you are looking for.

Kind of like what life is like. You are like a fly that keeps hitting the glass. Or maybe like a baseball player that continues to strike out. Or maybe like the elephant who just swatted the ten millionth gnat that landed on his rear end. You just keep doing the same thing every day, wondering if life really makes any sense at all.

But it does make cents, that is if you have a job, or you win the lottery. You can either keep going like a leaf on a steady breeze waiting for that final resting place or you can take the goat by the horns and just be the person you always wished you were. You know, the person who quarterbacks their best game or the corporate jock who just made a deal that puts his/her company over the top.

And you can do it, regardless of what others say. You can get to the top or the middle or whatever makes you happy. But you may feel like you can't because you put way too many limitations on yourself. So you just keep watching the same Gilligans Island reruns over and over again with another bag of stale chips as your friend and a six pack of the really cheap beer that seems to go flat as soon as you open it.

Because, let's be honest, you are caught up in the American dream that tells you that if you purchase this product or that, that you will be strong, you'll lose unwanted pounds, and you will feel like you want to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

But what product really does that for you? Is it a bottle of children's chewables? You know the ones that are shaped like animals or cars or maybe like cell phones?

Proverbs 6:5 If you can get out of this trap you have saved yourself like a deer that escapes from a hunter or a bird from the net. TLB

But, oh my gosh, this is a real stretch, what about just being yourself? You can do that. In fact, you have had a lot of practice at it all your life. Find out what you really want. Not what others want. Not what others think you should have. But what you want and need to come to terms with. You could try to go for king of the world, but what about your own domain. Be who you want to be, just make sure that watching lots of television is not the only thing you are good at.

What about finding out if you have a talent for something. We all have a talent, something that we are good at doing that can give us a sense of achievement. Try thinking of something. If you can't, keep trying. And if you are already using that talent for your own advancement through life in a way that helps others, then you are way ahead of the game and congratulations are in order.

This brings me to what God wants for your life. You know, the entity or whatever you want to refer to Him as. The one that knows you a lot better than you know yourself, and the one that wants you to succeed even more than you do.

Psalms 116:1 I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them. TLB

So instead of watching another rerun, pick up a Bible, randomly pick a verse and read it. If the verse does not give you enlightenment, then try others until you find one that fits into your present life. Make the search a happy one and ask God for help. He is there for you now.

Prayer: Dear Lord, enlighten me to my talent and things that I am good at that help others. Give me guidance during this holiday season, in your ways and help me to understand what you want for me in my life. I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2006 Bryan Hill