G is for GATES

The deep prints on the strip of grass just outside our entrance told me that all was not right. They were too big and too round for human feet and prior knowledge and experience of such marks immediately made me think the worst. I hopped over the fence that separates our house from the nearby lane and discovered that my premonition has become reality, for there, right along the middle of the front lawn, were more of the same prints, some deeper than the originals. Being inquisitive by nature, I set off around the house and discovered more of the same, some leaving an indentation on a wetter area that would take some considerable time to disappear. But there was no trace of the offending animal or animals more likely, considering the number of hoof prints. They had probably wandered in when we were at work or during the night and left again, either of their own free will or under the direction of their owner who had, thoughtfully, decided not to bother us with his problem, though it was our problem now. Still, if I had only closed the gates, it would never have happened and it's not as if it hadn't happened before. Oh no, I have had several reminders across our lawns of uninvited visitors of the four limbed variety who make a mooing sound, but every time I fail to ignore the warnings, even when I see the blessed animals on the road not a million miles from our home. And they haven't been the only visitors who have wandered up the driveway on the invitation of an open gate. Once we had a goat encamped on our front doorstep for days, who left his calling card nearby. He was a quiet old goat but stubborn and wasn't always willing to accept that his home should be elsewhere. Several times I led him down the road with the enticement of a carrot and several times he followed me back home. It became frustrating for though he wasn't causing any harm, I could see the value of our house dropping drastically by the hour. Can you just imagine the advert. 'For Sale - gentleman's residence with own private goat!' Anyway, once or twice, I went beyond the call of duty and, I suppose, decency but in my frustration I led him all the way, under the cover of darkness, to our neighbour's house, where he began to eat at their hedge and park himself in their driveway. I felt a bit ashamed for that had not been my intention but my shame turned back to frustration when the neighbour, no doubt unable to cope with his visitor, must have pointed him back up the hill and he returned to the doorstep once again, until eventually, someone realised he was missing from their home and retrieved him. If memory serves me correctly, we have also had a pony, the odd horse, several dogs and cats, a multitude of rabbits, squirrels and birds and complete families of mice through the gates, which we rarely close, though I guess, shutting them would not have prevented most of those animals making it to our house.

When I was much younger I used to walk on top of the gate at the entrance to one of our fields, close to home. Its bars were rounded an about five centimetres wide and I would spend ages standing on the pillar at one end before embarking across the top rail and exiting on to the other pillar some four metres away. It was a real balancing act, if you'll excuse the pun, but once I got the hang of it, the task was then to see how many lengths, back and forth, I could complete before falling off. I don't think mum and dad ever knew that I did it and therefore they wouldn't have known that I was world champion gate walker for a gate on their farm. Nor did anyone else in the world , for that matter. I also used the same gate for another 'invented' sport. This time the object was to throw small stones from a distance and try to 'bounce' them off one of the rails. There was a point for every 'hit' and a bonus point if you could manage to strike one of the few, thin upright rails. Needless to say I was also world champion at this event. In the intervening years, I have been disappointed that neither has become an Olympic sport, even in the 'recognised' category!

In Psalm 118, the writer says, 'Open for me the gates of righteousness;I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.' And Jesus makes two references to the gate that we should never forget. First, in Matthew, he says, 'Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.' His message is clear for we cannot find that road until we find the gate, but in John 10 he solves the problem by saying, 'I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.' So there you have in a nutshell, the Gospel of Jesus.

I've talked a lot about open gates, because an open gate excludes no one from entering. Find the gate that is Jesus and you find an ever open gate that allows all to enter who seek to travel the road ahead. Don't leave your footprints outside!