You would be surprised what people do when there are no TVs around. In the case of my team, we tend to enjoy naming the wildlife here on the homestead. The first few days here I decided to begin naming the goats. The first goat that I named was a baby that was white with black spots on his eyes and a black patch on his back. His is Nemo. I thought that naming a baby goat was a good idea because he would be less likely to end up on the menu before the end of the trip.
Although I named many goats, Nemo is certainly my favorite. That is why when he didn’t come home a few nights ago I was very worried. I figured that he had been goat-napped and that I would never see him again. I won’t say that I lost any sleep over it, but I did mention his disappearance to the owner of the homestead that we are stay at.
I asked him, “What do you do when your goats are missing?” He said, “You go look for it.” His answer was much simpler than I was expecting but it reminded me of the Parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:10-14. See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way our Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
God desires the heart of each and every person that I come into contact with. He is willing to roam the hills searching out each and every one of his lost sheep. This parable makes me want to understand the value of every heart the way that God does. I want to have such a love for people that I am willing to roam the hillside in the dead of night to gather God’s lost sheep.
In the end, Nemo found his own way home a few days later. I am learning that he is a mischievous goat and seems to get himself lost often. Weather he is lost or found, he is still a part of the herd and is desired by his owner just as God desires us. What I need to learn is to seek after God the way that He seeks after me. I want to become more intimate God in my relationship with Him.
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
The only barrier that stands between us and more intimacy with God, is us. So open up your heart and ask God to come in.
