Luke 15:6b – Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. (NIV)

John 10:27 – My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (NIV)

This past February, my son and I drove to Ohio to adopt a new "furever" friend. Elliot is a "Velcro" critter who gives new meaning to the phrase "dogging my heels". Everywhere I go, and I mean everywhere, he is right at my heels, often with his nose against my hand, nudging to be petted. Because he still remembers what being a lost, starving, and wandering dog was like, he suffers from separation anxiety. He feels safe only when he can see his other "pack" members, his family, and be right beside them. Thus he dogs my heels.

Like my dog Elliot, we used to barely survive as we lived by our wits. Wandering off and doing our own thing left us emotionally desolate, and spiritually starved. We needed a rescuer. We needed Christ Jesus, who came to seek those who had wandered away. We needed the Good Shepherd to find us.

We not only needed to be rescued from our former life, but we also needed to follow closely at our Shepherd's heels so that we could feel and be safe. As we began to listen intently for Jesus' voice speaking to us through Scriptures that instructed us in the best possible way we could live and then followed Jesus' teaching closely, we discovered that we could feel secure because we knew we had been rescued.

As with Elliot, who needs to stay close to his "pack", we need our own "pack", which is our church family. If you will allow the analogy, we can "dog the heels" of our Saviour by reading the Bible, being active in our church, serving the needs of others, and at the same time, find security through belonging to the tangible family of God.

Prayer: Good Shepherd, put the desire within us to "dog Your heels" by reading Your Word. Compel us to follow You closely by sticking with Your church family, for we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

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About the author:

Cassandra Wessel <casswessel4319@gmail.com>
Tionesta, Pennsylvania, USA
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