Follow the Shepherd, Not the Sheep Stealer

Our brother in Christ, Musa, arrived for his first visit to the USA this week. He came all the way from Swaziland. Delightedly, someone from our Swazi team managed to wisk him away from his business and into Augusta for an all too brief dinner.

Over dinner, we learned that in the past few days, there had been an awful lot of "firsts" for Musa. First for me, however, is to state for the record that Musa is a very smart man with a very strong faith, which is why a small mob of overly loving Christians surrounded him last night.One of the "firsts" that Musa encountered was that people in America actually let their dogs into their homes. What?!

Little did he or I know that God had just brought this particular blog together. But wait, my title is about sheep. So what do sheep and dogs and Musa have in common? How does that work, God?

Enter John 10:5 -- "....they follow because they are familiar with His voice."

And John 10:8 -- "....all those others are up to no good -- sheep stealers."

And  Ps. 119:1 -- "You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God" (The Message).

You see, one misty morning this week, our newest dog, Scarlett, wandered off. Dang it! And I was just getting ready to go to Bible study. Sigh. She went into the wetlands. Where it's wet. And brambly.

Now Scarlett had been a stray that we found. We have loved and cared for her all this time and had seen the benefit of our love and care.....and food. Her coat, when we found her, was rough and coarse. Now, it had become sleek and smooth and sweet to touch.

And I kept thinking about that sweet, smooth fur, as I watched her tail move among the tropical rain forest that she was now deeply engaged in smelling. Lots of smells, I'm sure. But what did I care? I was wet. And chilly. And about to be late for Bible study. So, I did what came naturally: I stepped into the jungle. And I called and pursued. Hard. And Scarlett ignored me.

Somewhere amidst the vines and the briers and the sinkholes, I got the bright idea to get the car, and meet her on the other side of this muck. Which I did. When I finally caught her attention, she was out of her zone of familiarity and I was seemingly (to her) out of place. She looked surprised to see me. I opened my arms and called to her. Her body relaxed and she came to me, wet, smelly, and brambly. She climbed into my car and then jumped (naturally) her stinky self right into my front seat. I was quite happy to have her there, beside me, heading home, where I could love her some more. And give her dog biscuits.

I got her back. I went after her and brought her back to love -- and to dog treats -- which is exactly what she wanted and needed at that moment.

And Musa? Well, once he gets past the whole dog issue, he's in for an amazing time. But he asked a question last night. He expressed wonder that we, as Americans, would leave all this -- all this that is America -- to come to his country to be with his people and love on them. Why? Because, as someone at the table said, "It's cool, yes! But in the end, it's all stuff." It's slurpees and dishwashers and Walmarts and jets. Or it's vines and brambles and sinkholes and snakes. Depends on one's perspective.

The materialistic things all have their own beauty -- from slurpees to sinkholes -- fascinating things, full of tastes and smells. They are not bad, in and of themselves.

But ponder the verses above. Enjoy life. God blessed us with LIFE.  From the simple to the dazzling, LIVE! But follow the Shepherd, on His road.....not the Sheep Stealer. He makes it all the more fun!!!