So I read this. *it says: "Wait! Wait! Listen to me! ... We don't HAVE to be just sheep!"
Then the light begins to dawn...This is something I would do and say! I am clearly that sheep. The one that would wander away because I just KNOW I can be MORE! I am the sheep that had to be chased down and possibly have my legs broken because I tend to wander off. I am the sheep that could even convince a cluster or small group of other sheep to go astray...out to where the wolf lies in wait to devour lost sheep.
For me, finding and remaining in the place God puts me is a difficult challenge. It's not impossible. I stayed at my last job WAY longer than I would have, had God not been leading me. These are some of those painful growing pains. The growth is absolutely necessary...and the pain that accompanies this vital growth with not soon be forgotten.
As I recall stories of childbirth from friends and family, I remember hearing ALMOST each one that the pain was unbelievable, incomparable, even excruciating. My sister swore she'd never do it again. Yet my nephew was born just 6 years later.
I have to believe it's the same with life lessons. Some are so painful we think we'll never allow ourselves to go through it again...but even some of the most painful become just bittersweet reminders that everything comes at a cost. There is NO true growth WITHOUT pain.
And so...I continue to learn; it's not about being JUST a sheep...it's about learning to be the very best sheep I can be. It's about honing and embracing each of my sheep qualities.
