4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep."
Somewhere between hammering loose boards, and shoveling dirt into holes, I was working out my frustration. You see, I along with my son, had a midnight mission. The mission was thrust upon us whether we liked it or not. We did not! We would have preferred to be warm in our beds. But Cheyenne, our beagle, did not consider us or our preferences. She willfully left the confines of our yard before we could bring her in for the night. We could hear the distant yapping of a beagle on a scent. If you know beagles, you know what I mean. When she has her nose to the ground, nothing else matters. She cannot be distracted from her instincts to sniff it out. It is like she has returned to "the Wild," as she goes crazy trailing the temptation. Anyway, this time the temptation lay outside of our yard. She either dug or pushed her way out and was hot on the trail when we became aware of her absence. So we put on our shoes and picked up a flashlight and the leash, and headed out into the dark misty air. The thought did cross my mind to just leave the silly dog out! But I couldn't have slept knowing that she would be roaming the neighborhood waking all the neighbors with her yapping. People, believe me when I say it is loud and constant! I reluctantly vowed to find the little dog who had gone astray. Working together, we managed to locate her a few houses down and even captured her without getting too dirty. For this I was grateful. I must confess that while I was carrying her in my arms, I certainly was not doing so in the manner listed above in Luke 15:5. Other than the sheer accomplishment of having conquered her, there was certainly no joy in my heart. I was annoyed! If I were to call my neighbors, it would not have been to rejoice, but to apologize for any disturbance. Not so with my Shepherd. When we stray, He comes after us and lovingly brings us back into His fellowship. May I reflect on His mercy and His forgiveness and His love. May I be reminded of this love the next time one of my sheep goes astray. And may I always rejoice that God has not yet seen fit to give me 100 sheep! He knows what I can manage.
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