For years, I thought the Bible said, “It is hard for thee to kick against the goats.”
Goats. As in those stubborn, four-legged creatures that climb fences, eat things they shouldn’t and generally refuse to cooperate.
Having actually owned goats, the expression made perfect sense to me. Anyone who has tried to convince a goat to do something it doesn’t want to do knows it’s probably a losing battle. I figured the Bible was warning us about the futility of arguing with stubborn creatures.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered the word was goads, not goats.
And suddenly, the lesson became a whole lot more personal.
The expression comes from Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In Acts 26:14, Jesus says, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks,” as recorded in the King James Version. Other translations use goads.
A goad was a pointed stick farmers used to guide oxen. When an ox resisted by kicking backward, it struck the sharp point, hurting itself in the process.
The harder it fought the guidance, the more painful the experience became.
Well, now. That certainly changes the picture.
I’d spent years imagining someone foolish enough to kick a stubborn goat when the real message was about the stubbornness of the one doing the kicking.
And if that doesn’t describe human nature, I don’t know what does.
We resist change, argue with advice we know is probably right and cling to habits that no longer serve us. Sometimes we insist on taking the difficult road simply because someone suggested an easier one.
I can almost hear Mama saying, “You’re just making it harder on yourself.”
Mama knew when one of us was determined to learn a lesson the hard way. She might offer advice once or twice, but eventually experience would have to finish the conversation.
And experience can be a rather expensive teacher.
I’ve done my share of kicking against the goads. I’ve held on to responsibilities I should have delegated, worried about things I couldn’t change and tried to force situations to work when every sign suggested it was time to change direction.
Sometimes I called it determination. Sometimes perseverance.
Looking back, much of it was simply stubbornness dressed up in respectable clothing.
There is a difference between standing firm in your convictions and refusing to recognize when you’re headed in the wrong direction.
Life offers guidance through trusted friends, closed doors, unexpected opportunities and that quiet inner voice suggesting we reconsider our plans.
We can listen, or we can kick.
And kicking rarely improves the situation.
I still rather miss my original interpretation. Having raised goats, I can testify that kicking one would accomplish absolutely nothing except making both of us mad.
But the older I get, the more I appreciate the real lesson. Not every obstacle must be overcome. Not every disagreement is a battle to win. And not every change in direction represents defeat.
Mama probably could have explained it without mentioning oxen, goads or goats.
She would have shaken her head and said, “Honey, quit fighting what you already know is right.”
Mama said: “You can keep kicking, but don’t be surprised when you’re the one who gets hurt.”
As for me, I’m trying to recognize the goads a little sooner these days. And having owned goats, I still recommend giving them plenty of room.
What Mama said: Life lessons you didn’t know you needed—until Mama said them.
Enjoyed this article. Read more What Mama Said… by Susan Espiritu.
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