All We Like Sheep…
There’s an old comedy bit that has been used countless times. A person says something like, “I broke my arm twice in the same place,” and the other responds, “Quit going to that place.”
Sometimes that joke hits close to home with how we live our spiritual lives, but the actions of some sheep in England may hit even closer to home. A fire and rescue service near Coates was recently called to save a sheep that had wandered into a muddy low-lying area near a river and become stuck late one evening. The workers did the necessary work and the sheep was brought out.
However, the very next afternoon, they were called back to the same place as more sheep had wandered into the muddy area and become stuck. Once again, the rescuers performed their task and saved the sheep. Amazingly, later that same evening, they were called a third time to virtually the same spot to perform yet another rescue.
They then took some measures to close off the area so the sheep would not wander there again. Good move! [Source]
Through Scripture, we are often compared to sheep. Sometimes, such as in the 23rd Psalm, there is a sweetness to that comparison, as it reminds us of our reliance on the Lord as our Shepherd and how He cares for us.
But we can make no mistake about it, sheep are defenseless and, often, not too bright. Further, like those sheep in England, they will often follow a pattern, even if it is a dangerous one.
To go back to the joke, they need to quit going to those places!
But are we not often like those sheep? We have seen someone fall into the snare of the devil. We have watched that person ruin their lives with some particular sin. We’ve seen their family crumble, their reputation fall apart, and maybe even more. We shake our head and offer some help, but we are still amazed that it has happened to that person.
And then we go off into our own little “pet” sin and act as if the same thing won’t happen to us. That person just couldn’t control it…I can. That person didn’t know how to handle boundaries…I do. That person is involved in that sin, which is clearly more addictive and dangerous than anything I’m doing.
Maybe sheep are a perfect illustration for how we so often act, because, to put it simply, that’s just not too bright.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way…” (Isaiah 53:6)
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
