Like A Shepherd Leads Us

It was not because of the expense, which it would be for her and her family.

It was not because of losing a year of college, which would happen.

It was not because of any sort of difficulty.

She decided not to go simply because it was easier to stay where she was, doing the same things she had always done.

But then, for other reasons, she decided it was too late to back out and she ended giving the year of her life to work with the Navajo.

Upon her return she couldn’t say enough about what a missed opportunity it would have been had she stayed in that comfort zone of hers.

As I look back on my life, it is the missed opportunities that I regret the most.

I don’t regret the mistakes I actually did do nearly as much as I regret just letting opportunities pass me by.

The things I could have done, but didn’t, because it was easier to stay where I was, comfortable in my familiar settings.

It has always amazed me that in the Exodus, God is leading the people to freedom. And time and again the people complain. It’s amazing. In Egypt, the people were slaves. In Egypt, Pharoah was killing the first born sons. God is leading to a land of milk and honey, and yet the people time and again will say, "Why didn’t we stay in Egypt?"

But God is a God who is on the move, and we’d rather stay were we are. Because we are people who THINK we are in our right minds – not our righteous paths. It’s nicer to stay where we are and stay comfortable, than to get on the move.

It’s easier to keep your old job than at age 40 to go back to college. It’s easier, but what is God leading you to do?

It’s easier to hear about someone needing help and to hope God leads someone ELSE to do something. It’s easier, but what is God leading YOU to do?

Are you in what the world around you would call your right mind? Or are you on the righteous path going where God leads?

Well, that is not the only reason why we resist God.

Outstanding Reason Number Two To Resist God -- it is so costly. So many sacrifices.

You stop and count the cost, and it is hard to follow God.

I remember when my wife and I were married, we moved into the Cameron Apartments. Nasty things. Tiny little kitchen and bathroom. The only time you could get the air conditioning to work was in the winter time. The heat wouldn’t work except in the summer time. Bugs all over the place. Hated that place. We lived there for 5 months, and then moved out into pure luxery. Nice big den. Nice big bedroom. Nice kitchen. Heat that worked in winter and airconditioning that worked in summer. Swimming pool outside, and inside, not a bug in sight.

Then, after 2 years of what my wife and I still refer to as our "wealthy years" God calls us to the ministry.

That means three years of seminary. Low salaries once you’re out. It meant delaying having children. But most of all, since the seminary was in the same town as where we had gone to college, it meant we had to move. And of course, there was only one vacant place in town. The Cameron Apartments where we had lived for 5 months, now we could look forward to 3 years there!