ARE YOU SURE, LORD?
In a movie classic - National Lampoon's Vacation - Chevy Chase - otherwise known as Clark Griswold - leads his family across the country to their dream vacation at Wally World. Along the way, Clark gets lost several times. One time happened to be in St. Louis. After several wrong turns, the neighborhoods got scarier and scarier, leaving Clark and his family more and more scared themselves. As time wore on, Audrey and her mom started having a very distressed look on their face and asking, "Are you sure you know where we are?"
Confidently Clark gave the answer every husband knows by heart, "No problem kids, we're just getting to see a part of America you don't see every day." Right after that, several gun shots went off, and he quickly said, "Roll em up!" Their trust in their fearless leader evaporated, and they were scared to death.
Isn't that the way we end up with our Good Shepherd. At the beginning of the trip, like good sheep we say to Jesus, "I'll follow you wherever you go!" But then Jesus says to kids - "I want you to go the honest way - don't cheat." He says to teens - "I want you to take the high road - don't have sex." He says to adults - "I want you to take the faithful way - bring your children up in the nurture of the Lord. Have devotions. Be regular in attendance." And we say, "Are you sure Lord? That's kind of hard."
Then things start getting more difficult, Jesus says to spouses, "Be willing to turn the other cheek. Don't be so judgmental of your spouse." He says to kids, "Don't be so lazy with your parents. Do your chores." So we say, "Are you sure, Lord?"
The true sign of a sheep is one who is willing to follow - even through the valley of the shadow of death. Sheep are so trusting and so dumb that they don't really think about where they're going. They're so enamored with their Shepherd's voice that they're willing to follow him ANYWHERE! Are you a sheep? Are you willing to follow?
(From Matthew Haynie's Sermon "Called To Be a Bondservant")