The Barbed Wire Gate Closer

                A few years ago, I needed the meadow gate closed in late winter to prevent overgrazing. Try as hard as I could, I could not get the long barbed wire gate shut. Vonda Goad described it as a “Goad gate.” I’m stronger physically than I have ever been, but I still couldn’t get the gate shut no matter what strategy I employed.

                Vonda sent Greg over to shut the gate. He brought with him an antiquated-looking contraption. He said Dave, his brother, brought some of these from South Dakota. Within minutes, Greg had it attached to the gate post. He quickly showed me how to wind the barbed wire gate closed. Then using an old screwdriver, the gate closer stayed securely shut.

The archaic-looking barbed wire gate
latch. Notice the handles for easy 
winding. The screw driver holds the
 gate latch securely closed. Oh the 
power of the combination of simple 
machines!

                Innumerable times, I have opened and closed the meadow gate on my own with this nifty gate closer. Each time, I am grateful for friends who are helpful in meeting the many needs Mother and I have.

                I reflected on this apparatus that has helped me close gates like nothing else. Old examples of the barbwire* gate latch can be found on farms in England, New Zealand, and of course, here on the ranches of the United States. What a time-saving and stress-relieving contraption it has been for me!

                Jeremiah quoted the Lord in Jeremiah’s recounting of God continually seeking to draw the nation of Judah back to Him. Jeremiah 6:16 says:

This is what the Lord says, “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ (NLT)

Just as the antiquated barbwire gate closer is the most effective way for me to get the barbed wire gate closed, so the Lord’s principles as recorded in His word set forth the best way for life to be lived. God reminded the residents of Judah to attend to the old, godly way so they could walk in its standards, for in traveling its path, they could be assured of finding rest for their souls. In our world today, our anxiety-ridden population craves an inner rest. Yet how the indictment so succinctly recorded by Jeremiah mirrors the all-to-often 21^st century attitude when we read, “No, that’s not the road we want!”

                It would be ludicrous for me to continue trying unsuccessfully to shut the long barbed wire gate while staunchly refusing to utilize the antiquated barbed wire gate latch. Yet it is eerily similar for us to persist in living life on our own terms instead of consulting and following the manual of our Creator.

                God, remove our stubborn desire for prideful disobedience. Replace it with such a strong longing for rest in You that we are compelled to return to Your godly way and begin walking on Your path.
*I always learn something when I write. Not until proofreading this draft, did I question my spelling of "barb wire." It's official entry in the dictionary is "barbed wire" and the secondary spelling is the compound word "barbwire" with no space as I had thought erroneously.