Anyone Can Be the GOAT - Character Matters
A goat strayed away from the flock. A patch of clover was looking far more tempting than what they had been eating. The shepherd tried to call the goat back, but in vain. The goat just ignored him. Finally, the shepherd picked up a stone and threw it at the goat. It went off course ever so slightly and broke the goat’s horn.
The shepherd was scared. “Don’t tell the owner,” he begged the goat. “No,” said the goat, “that broken horn speaks for itself.”
The writer, Maya Angelou reminded us that “when people show you who they really are, believe them the first time.” Integrity and trustworthiness are traits not only we ought to aspire to, but they are matters of character much needed in our day.
Wicked and evil deeds will not stay hidden and the lessons they reveal ought to be noted. Noted psychologist and thinker, Jordan Peterson, notes, “If you can’t figure out what someone is doing, look at the outcome and infer the motivation.”
Often people are quick to say they are “sorry” when caught in a lie or acts of wickedness but what are they sorry for - that they did the act or that they were caught? What ought to be noted is whether someone repents and asks for forgiveness. This indicates that they recognize what was done AND the harm that it caused. Then, as Peterson implies - make note of what someone is doing…do they continue the original pattern or change.
People can grow and change but actions reveal the heart.
Jesus said it this way: “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.” (Luke 8:17-18).
Character matters and it is a matter of the soul. It sets you apart in life: at home and at work. Be the person you want others to be and you’ll be the person others need.
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