Are you caring for your goose?

While waiting for church to start last Saturday the fable of the goose that laid the golden egg came to mind.  Does anyone else have random thoughts pop into their head, apparently out of nowhere?

Here is the story if you have never heard it or forgotten it.

The Goose With the Golden Egg

ONE day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played upon him. But he took it home on second thoughts, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find,—nothing.

Over the past week, I’ve been thinking a lot about this countryman or ordinary farmer.  Did he really think that he would find the goose full of gold?  And even if the goose was full of gold, how many eggs could one goose contain?  Five, Ten, Twenty.  No matter how greedy, surely he could have seen the folly in killing the goose. 

But what if didn’t kill the goose, he just let it die.  I could see that happening.  He gets so busy spending, saving, investing the eggs that he forgets to care for the goose.  He fails to notice the dirty water dish, the empty food dish, the skinny goose. Until one day there is no goose and no egg.  No egg that day, no egg ever again.  That sounds like something I could do.

So to keep my goose that lays the golden egg alive, here are questions I need to ask myself:

1.  What is my goose or what provides the blessings in my life?

2.  Am I taking care of my goose so that the blessings keep coming?

I’ll answer the first question now.  I have at least four geese that lay golden eggs for me.

• Marriage
• Health
• Integrity
• Care for others

The second question is one that I need to answer everyday.  What will I do today to protect and grow my marriage, my physical health, my personal integrity and my care for others.  These four questions in one form or another need to be part of my regular self examination and planning time.  And yours too.

Make it a great day.  Grow your goose!!

Bruce