A famous old hymn said, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” The author admitted that his heart had a tendency to stray from God.
Jesus would agree. When he said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14), he was implying that we, like sheep, go astray. We are prone to wander.
Why? Sheep see something they want (like green grass) and pursue it without checking if that pursuit takes them far from their shepherd. In addition, their flocking instinct means they are prone to follow their friends, no matter how near or distant those friends are from the shepherd.
Sound familiar? Often we see something we want (the best education, athletic achievement, extra money, etc.) and pursue it without asking about its effect on our closeness to Jesus (think church attendance, prayer life, etc.). In addition, we tend to follow the example of people we respect, scheduling our lives in similar ways, even if they aren’t seeking God’s kingdom before all else.
Perhaps the wisest thing for sheep like us to do would be to ask, “Will ______ keep me close to Jesus? Even if ________ isn’t inherently wrong or ________ is a pretty good person, will it/he/she keep me close to the protecting arm of my Good Shepherd?”
You know Jesus. You know he wants what’s best for you. Therefore, listen to his voice, the loving call that will keep you close and overcome the temptation to wander.
