Catching Strays
Today is National Good Neighbor Day
“You shall not see your countryman’s ox or his sheep straying away, and pay no attention to them; you shall certainly bring them back to your countryman.”
Countryside life is always a bit different from town life. In a village everyone knows everyone else, and we are civil towards each other in the queue at the village shop/post office. As a youngster there was no way that you could be rude, for everyone knew your dad…who would be waiting for you when you got home. Neighbours helped each other out if they could, I did gardening and shopping for Mrs. Lawton our next door neighbour. When out in the lanes and fields that surrounded our village occasionally we would find sheep or cattle who had strayed. We would do our best to restore them and make sure they went deep into the field away from the break in the fence, then go to the farm to break the news. I remember one morning when we opened our curtains and dad’s garden and the street were full of cattle; the farmer and some trailers came to clear the village of the escapees while the local rose growers were out with their buckets collecting free fertilizer.
It was the above scene that came to my mind as I read our verse today. It also reminded me of the spiritual aspect of the story; that our Lord is the Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture. We follow Him because we know His voice, but sometimes some of our brethren will stray – backslide. As the dutiful villager we have a responsibility to try and restore them to our Lord, encouraging them back into His close care. As I remember well sheep can be stubborn and go every way but the right way as you try to guide them to safety, I have seen sheep come to serious harm falling in a ditch. It is the same with backsliders; they are in open rebellion and will avoid you and the help you offer. But it is our duty to try regardless.
For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
1 Peter 2:25
Dear reader, do you know a soul who once walked with their Shepherd Lord but now is far away? Maybe you are reading this, and you are a wandering sheep feeling lost? My friend never tire of trying to kindly return strays to the Lord; the time of His return is close, the hour is near as the sun sets on the horizon. If you are far from Him yourself, He is looking for you now…return and be welcomed with open arms.
Alan Kearns is a Christian father and grandfather from Scotland. He was raised in the mining villages of Fife and came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior in 1984. A major influence that leads Alan to Jesus was his Christian mum, grandparents and an aunt. Alan writes regular devotionals in his blog Devotional Treasures
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