Some things seem easy until we actually try it. Take a recent story from NPR entitled "Breaking News: Goat Locked In A Car In A Parking Lot Drinks A Soda." It tells the tale of a goat left alone in a car while his new owner went into Home Depot. According to the Boston Globe's coverage, the goat managed to turn on the hazard lights, drink some old soda left in the car, and more. Pretty cute, right? Maybe you're even thinking, Awww, I want a pet goat for my family. Forget it, says one expert. Real goats are more work than you could ever imagine. Susan Schoenian, a sheep and goat specialist at the University of Maryland Extension, told NPR "I've spent a career with livestock, and I believe a herding animal should be raised as part of herd. Goats are a social animal, and they socialize with each other. I'm not saying somebody can't have a pet goat and do a decent job, but goats really ought to be raised in herds. It's how nature intended it to be. That's just my opinion."

Possible Preaching Angle:

It's easy to romanticize certain things—like Christianity, church, marriage, or life in general—but real life is often more challenging and requires more commitment than we assume with our rose-colored glasses.

Source:

Marc Silver, “Breaking News: Goat Locked In A Car In A Parking Lot Drinks A Soda,” NPR (2-24-16); Steve Annear, “Goat Left in Car in Oxford Gets a Bit of Fame,” The Boston Globe (2-23-16)