When I first started tending sheep, I was not prepared for their innate desire to push boundaries. I was also not prepared for how much ground they can cover in a day. Miles. I am talking miles in a day. When asked, my advice to prospective shepherds is to have a good fence in place before the sheep arrive. They may look sweet and innocent, but I can guarantee that sooner or later they will test the boundaries and given the chance, they will escape to explore new and often inhospitable territories.
But why though? Why would they leave the safety and security of a place that their shepherd prepared for them, only to venture out into unknown often dangerous situations? It seems counterintuitive, but don’t we test our boundaries too? Don’t we often ignore the warnings that God has spelled out clearly for us in His Word? God’s will is for us to live within the boundaries that He has set for our own good, but it is easy to become dissatisfied when we see others with what we perceive to be more than we have. It is a trap that too many of us fall into. We convince ourselves that we are missing out on something, and we leave the safe place that God has prepared for us in search of our own greener pastures.
The good news is, when we find ourselves in a strange land, facing giants we never knew existed, we can always do what my sheep do when something scares them. We can run back to our Shepherd. I am always ready to accept my sheep back, no matter where they have been, how dirty they are, or how long they have been gone. I celebrate their return and Jesus does the same for us when we come back to Him.
So like the prodigal son, if you find that you have been wandering outside of the will of your Shepherd today, just go back home. Your Father has been calling for you, and He is waiting on you with open arms.
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
