The Chronicles of Biscuit - The Sheep Ate My Potato

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son, whose nickname is Biscuit

During the county livestock show last week, I had to work in the concession stand for several hours.  Biscuit became hungry and wanted a baked potato.  I fixed it up for him and sent him out to a table to put some salt and pepper on top.  I assumed that he would sit at the table and eat it, but didn't actually say that to him. I kept working and never thought about Biscuit and the potato again.

In a little bit Biscuit came back to the concession stand and said he needed another potato.  I asked why.  He said, "The sheep ate my potato!"  "Really, Biscuit, and just how did a sheep eat your potato?  Where were you that a sheep was able to eat it?  Weren't you sitting at the table?," I asked.  Biscuit explained that he had gone to where his daddy was out by the animals. He was sitting there eating his potato and the sheep came up and ate it.  He said he didn't want to eat it anymore, since the sheep had eaten some of it so he threw it away.  I don't blame him for that part....YUCK!

Well, I scolded Biscuit for taking his potato out to the animal pens and told him he should have stayed at the tables.  I explained to him he would have to wait for a while before getting anything else to eat because that was a waste of food and money.  Biscuit left....a little bit sad.

In a matter of minutes here came Biscuit and my husband.  My husband said that Biscuit really did need a new potato because the sheep shouldn't have been out in the aisle way. He said it was the sheep's fault and the sheep's owner's fault.  (In my mind I still blamed Biscuit because a baked potato in a sheep and goat barn just seems gross to me.  But then again, it WAS a stock show and it's common to eat in those barns during the shows.)  Anyway, Biscuit got his potato and at it at the tables.  No sheep came to get it - yippee for Biscuit!

This story makes me think of the "lost" parables in Luke 15... not that anything was lost in Biscuit's story, but that blame can be placed on different people or things, but there was still a problem that needed a "fix".

In the Luke 15 parables Jesus used a coin, a sheep, and a son to emphasize the importance of finding those who are lost - those who are not saved. In each of those parables, blame can be placed on different things or people. In each of these stories a problem needed to be "fixed".  The woman lost the coin.  It didn't lose itself, but finally the woman found it.  The sheep wandered off on its own, but the shepherd searched until it was found.  The son (known as the prodigal son) chose to leave and squander his inheritance.  He made the choice to leave his father's home.  The father continued looking and most likely prayed that some day his son would return.....and he did.

Biscuit's problem of the sheep eating his potato was "fixed" when he listened and ate his potato in a safe place. Our safe place, as we learn in the parables is when we listen to our Heavenly Father and stay in a safe place.  Our safe place is in a relationship with Him and Jesus - avoiding places of sin.   Biscuit's safe place was found when he kept his baked potato away from the sheep!