Hee-Haw!

You learn something new every day!  I did not know that donkeys have the marking of a cross on their backs until I read a reference to it in a Guidepost article.  Apparently, legend has it that they are marked with a cross because their ancestors served the Lord: A donkey carried Mary to Bethlehem, and later to Egypt to preserve the Christ Child's life.  Jesus rode a donkey in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

The cross may not be the same on every donkey, but it is usually a dark streak down their back crossed by another dark streak across the shoulders. How interesting! God in His infinite wisdom and divine creativity has filled the world with strange, beautiful and intriguing creatures. 

Today as I headed to deposit our trash in the alley for pick-up, crossing the backyard I noticed flattened, deflated, web-like objects lying on the ground.  I recognized them as the web-worm nests that have decorated some of the trees lately.  I guess they have their purpose in providing protection for the worms hatched there, who must have a purpose. The strong winds of the past few days have done the job of stripping most of the leaves from some of the trees, while others hang on tenaciously, hopefully to deliver autumn colors soon. 

Object lessons sometimes occur to me from ordinary, everyday things, like the worm webs.  Like sin, the webs may be attractive to some at first, but in the end, when the damage to the trees has been done, they are ugly, empty things, fit for nothing but the gutter. The wind has swept them away, just as the wind of the Holy Spirit sweeps through our souls, leaving us with refreshing, invigorating life and new energies and purpose! 

There is yet another way God used a donkey to serve Him for His purpose.  The story of Balaam and the donkey is told in Numbers 22:21-33. This is the account of the donkey that talked! Three times the donkey saved the pagan prophet Balaam from an angel's sword. The donkey saw the angel with a drawn sword and stubbornly refused to go on, even though his master beat him.  The next time he saw the angel on the path, he pressed against the wall, injuring Balaam's foot. Finally, the donkey lies down in the path and asks why he was beaten three times. God had a lesson for Balaam to learn, and He used a donkey to get through to him!

Next time I see a donkey, I'm going to look for the mark of a cross on his back!