By RJ KENNEDY
Dear Cousin,
The good book says, “We like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way:…” Isaiah 53:6.
This verse cuz, reminds me of that aggravating solid Black Angus cow, (we call her Elizabeth after a great niece) over in the holler. We took her and her partner “La Rue” to live on my Mom’s farm awhile back.
La Rue is still there, but Elizabeth is never content unless she jumps a fence to get to the grass she wants. Over here, that grass was the hay patch.
She would tear through barbwire like no bodies business. If you chased her out, she would jump the fence, tear it down, you would put it up and go eat lunch, come back and she would be in the hay patch again.
So now, she is over in the holler, Eagles Nest Road, somewhere! (Call me if you see her) She is like these folks that Isaiah is talking about, wandering away sheep.
Now I must admit our one fat sheep here pretty well stays in its lot about the old Smith School house, eating grass and treats.
Yet the other day, somebody left behind a sad old coonhound that hung around the front gate a good while. Now when that sheep saw it, it went flying up the farm road, bouncing along like crazy.
Now the old coonhound could have cared less about that sheep. He liked the leftover’s from out fridge much better. It even ate up a lot of old stale bread I keep in there for toast. He or she, I did not look or notice, spent the rainy day under the church van and I guess eventually its hunter/owner must have picked it up.
It was a nice old coonhound and very appreciative of the scraps it was given. It probably had been chasing coons all night.
Now there are people, cuz, who are like those crazy sheep, crazy cows, who won’t stay where God puts them.
There are thousands of missing children, who simply rebel against their parents, who run away, who won’t listen to the one trying to keep them safe and healthy. Those who listen to the voice “on line” of a complete stranger who lures them away from home, never to be seen again. There are far too many missing children.
They are like the “Captive Daughter of Zion” (Isaiah 52:2)” You were sold for nothing”, but thankfully God goes on to say, “And without money you will be redeemed”.
There are folk’s cuz, who use their free time and money, not hunting coons, but lost children, and they hunt the evil people who steal away these children. Thank God for men and women who are brave! They are heroes! They are out there shutting down the wicked predators, and rescuing children.
Children who were either lured away on line by these snake or wolves in sheep’s clothing or kidnapped, jerked up right off the street by these devils!
Train you kids, your grand kids, to defend themselves cuz. There’s nothing like a swift hard kick to the side of the knee or groin, to slow a man down. Teach them not to talk to strangers, not to ever meet someone they “met on line”.
These beautiful “dream boats” they think they are going to meet are usually creepy old men who have a lust for young girls, or someone just wanting to make some quick money selling them into the sex trade. Parents, grandparents, teach your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews to never wander away from home to meet someone.
They are not the answer to your prayers. Parents make you home a happy safe place where children want to stay, where they feel loved and protected.
Of course, teach them to be responsible, to clean their rooms, help with the chores, help with the house and yard work, but make sure life is not all work and no play.
There are children who hate work and only want play, they never want to put their phones down or cut off the video games. My best answerfirst, don’t get your kid a smart phone! It usually only makes them dumber and lazier.
If you need to get in touch with them, get them a “granny flip phone” they do still make them. Throw out the violent video games, trash them and get the kids outside playing ball instead. The internet opens up a world of problems to children and people alike.
It rewires the brain, shortens the attention span. Many a good man has been lured into pornography on line and has lost their jobs, their marriages. Can you imagine having to explain to your wife and children why daddy has to move away and find another job, how embarrassing?
I have seen farms in this area, go to waste because the owner-caretaker, was too busy drinking beer and looking at porn! It consumed their life; the farms were trashed and left to grow up.
So cuz, just remember, teach your little one “don’t be sheep that wanders astray” only to be killed by the wolves out there. Protect them, care for them.
Until Next week
RJ Kennedy
