No church for us today, Lord, sorry. Nathan is our major excuse for not going, but I also think we might have post-holidayitis. It’s a terrible disease that makes you lethargic and extremely nostalgic, where all you can think about is what a good time you had while you were away and how that’s all gone with no immediate hope of another. Perhaps we figure by staying home we’ll be able to fool ourselves into thinking we are still away. Some hope. I pray you will forgive us for our lack of faithfulness.
To ease my conscience a bit I did read John 10 (which I’m anticipating Daniel will talk about) and I must say it did sting a bit. It’s yet another passage where many struggled to understand what you were trying to say – this time that you are the good shepherd and we are the sheep, that the sheep know your voice and follow only you – and the main pressing desire on behalf of these people was to know, “Are you the Christ?” Of course as soon as you more directly say, “Yes” the people then want to kill you for it since they could not for a second accept such a thing could be true. In fact, when I thought about it, things haven’t changed much in the last two millennia. There are still people searching for salvation, and while some find you, the majority dismiss you, or worse, the majority don’t even get to hear about you at all.
From my perspective, I want to know you, I want to hear your voice, Lord. I’m not sure I really hear it very much at all if I’m honest. I’m trying to be obedient and to pray, but then I’m not sure I’m very good at either of those things. I’m not doubting my salvation…but sometimes I feel like I’m not as sheepy as I could be. Anyway, I guess all I can do is keep trying to move forward and entrust myself to you. I’m just grateful you are a forgiving God – otherwise you probably would have expelled me on the first day…yours humbly…Amen