A Renegade From the Fold

Sturdy fences are a must. Unfortunately, I don't really have sturdy fences. Many things have broken them down in time. There have been goats that stick their heads through and push with all of their might to reach the farthest blade of grass outside of it, thusly making it sag badly. There have been horses rubbing their enormous rear ends on the posts to scratch a pesky itch, and so the posts now lean. There have been adventurous baby goats that try to crawl through, but get stuck and make me have to cut them out, thusly leaving large holes. There have been deer jumping the fences in order to come drink from our pond, and jumping back out in a hurry to not get caught in the line of fire, creating a problem with ripping the fences clear off the posts at the top.

Because my fences are less than ideal, sometimes I will have a goat get out. This is a problem, because my neighbor has a large garden that he labors extensively over and it's the first thing my goats want to enjoy.

The first couple times I found a goat out of the fence, I panicked and ran after it--big mistake. Seeing a person running at them make them freak out and bolt. If I were to successfully catch my renegade goat, I would need to approach it as if nothing were out of the ordinary. The more nonchalant I could manage to be, the more likely it was that I could catch the goat quickly.

When a brother or sister strays from the fold, I've found that panicking and running after them screaming biblical rebukes might be the last thing you should do if you want them to be returned to the fold. One emotional reaction usually begets another. Speaking gentle truth and approaching in a way to not stir up fear or defensiveness is far more effective.

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1)

It's hard, I know, when we care so much about what happens to our loved ones, to not get emotional about it. In the end, though, everything and everyone belongs to God and He will have His will done. He desires that none should perish, but that all would come to His saving knowledge-- but that's not going to happen and He knows it. Oh, we'll all know who He is someday, but that day will come too late for many. In the meantime, we will be His faithful fishers of men, stewards of souls, ambassadors for truth, and servants of righteousness. We labor for the Master and return wandering sheep to the fold one by one as best as we can. We must trust God with the results.

So we'll labor, but we'll do so wisely. We'll guard our hearts to make sure we don't carry out a spiritual duty in the flesh. Remember that once they're outside of the fold, they're already feeling insecure as it is--even though they are exhilarated with their new-found "freedom". It's very easy to make them flee in the wrong direction if we come to them in the wrong way.

"Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."(Matthew 10:16b)

Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God;
He to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood.