This is a story that my brother told at my mother’s funeral. My mother decided to move a sheep from the barn to the pasture. She told my brother, “This is going to be easy. One day my mother had decided to you have you have to do is put food in a can and call, ‘Here sheepy, sheepy.’” Well, the sheep came out of the barn and looked at my mother, then at my brother and then he looked at the pasture. He turned and ran to the road. My mother and brother went after the sheep. My brother told my mother, “Just put a rope around his neck and pull him the pasture.” My mom said, “No! We are going to do it this way.” They tried it my mother’s way couple of time until mother gave in and put a rope around the neck of the sheep to move him. The sheep still did not move, even when my dad came out to help by pushing it while my brother was pulling it. So finally my brother just picked up the sheep and moved it.

So what does this have to do with the Christian? Jesus tells he is the Great Shepherd and that his sheep (us) know his voice and we will listen to him. How many times do we as Christians hear Christ’s voice and go a different way that could lead to danger, when all Christ would like us to be is to safe. Unlike my brother, Christ will not drag us to where he would like us to go. Christ would like us to go on our own free will to follow him. So next time you here Christ call, “Here sheepy, sheepy,” run as fast as you can to where he would like you to go.