Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Noah didn't have access to Proverbs when he raised his children or brought the animals onto the ark, but it makes sense that God thought enough of Noah and his sons that he trusted them to give mankind a mulligan, or do-over, on the repopulation of mankind and the quality of animal Noah selected to repopulate the animal kingdom.
We have a similar responsibility in training our Christ donkeys this year, since our veterans from prior years have retired to Ney's farm in Berryville and are no longer part of the Passion Play. Big Bam and Little Bam were consummate pros with proper training and many years carrying Jesus thru the Eastern Gate into Jerusalem. They had their occasional hissy-fit, but in the main, they were easy to handle. It hasn't been the same story with Michelle, Nancy, and Hillary. Nancy has already been relegated to non-performing status due to a less than professional demeanor and wanting to be a bucking bronco rather than a donkey. She also had a tendency to bite the hand which led her. Hillary has not even been given a chance to audition due to an early reluctance to be reined in. Hillary has been given a chance in the Holy Land to get accustomed to people, but is not deemed ready for The Show, as yet.
So, the duty has been given to Michelle, and WE have had to be trained so that we can train her. The first few weeks were rough with Michelle having the upper hand, Jesus taking some dramatic buck-offs, and the handlers enduring stubbornness, bucking, kicking and being dragged through the cheering crowd. Each night was an adventure. But, Floyd has been training us, so that we can train her and the past few weeks have gone much better.
As I've blogged before, I enjoy the donkeys here at the Passion Play as well as in our neighbor's field in Madison, GA. I have a ton of pictures of my donkey friends, and feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work and play with them. If I get to portray Noah in our petting zoo when it gets up and running in a few weeks, I will have more time to train and be trained.
Sent from my iPad
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