Sunday, May 26, 2013

The Nature Within

John 10:27

Our dog, Paige, is part Australian Shepherd.

Studying up on the history of this dog breed,
I found this statement on Wikipedia...
because it is relatively unaffected by altitude.
Ranchers in Boulder, Colorado began breeding the dogs,
which would attract purchasers from as far west as California
for their legendary sheep herding abilities."

Sheep-herding is what they were bred for.

that is, until the other day.
Zach and Austin were outside playing,
and of course, Paige was tagging along behind them.

a mixture of excitement and terror all over his face.

"Paige is over there chasing Bill's sheep!"

across the mountainside,
directly on the heels of a fat, woolly sheep.

Watching this scene unfold was amazing to me.
How did she know how to do that?
Why did she feel the urge and need to herd sheep?
All it seemed to take was for her to see them.


to try to convince her to forsake her shepherding "duties" 
and come on back home.
Once she hears us, she is rarely disobedient, 

All at once, I became aware of another problem,
There was no way Paige could see it.
and we all began to panic.
That was all that was on her mind.


and she was soon back safe on Mom and Dad's porch.
We verbally scolded her about the sheep,
under any circumstances. :~)
It is amazing how smart she is....
and even though we were there for several days after,

Once while standing outside with her,
I saw her watching them.
Her eyes were fixed....her ears perked.
and chase them with all her might.....
but I gently said, "No, Paige."
Her dedication to obedience overpowered 
the nature within her to herd sheep.
She never budged from my side.
She is such a sweet, wonderful, loyal dog.

after everything was over.

which sadly caused both of the sheep to drown.
cannot afford to keep losing his livestock.

What we didn't know...
what we couldn't see from across the road....
He was taking in the whole its entirety.
He had never seen Paige before.
He didn't know who she belonged to.
He had reached for his Winchester .243 caliber rifle
and set the sight on one target.
His finger was on the trigger.
He was ready to shoot....
when he heard our voices calling her from across the road.
He stopped, as Paige answered our call,
left his sheep, and came back home.

There was no fault on the part of Bill.
He is a good man.
A great neighbor.
He cares about his animals.
He is their shepherd.
He certainly meant no harm.
Bless his heart, he felt so bad afterwards.
had he killed our dog.

You can't really blame Paige either.
She is an Australian Shepherd.
Australian Shepherds herd sheep.

She absolutely acted on instinct when she chased the sheep.

She saw sheep.
She felt the urge to shepherd them.
Nothing else mattered.
Until she heard our voice.

of the crosshairs on the scope of his rifle.

My mind has considered so many "what ifs?"

What if she hadn't obeyed?
What if she had ignored our warnings?
What if Austin and Zach hadn't seen her over there?
What if we had lost our sweet dog that day?
What if we had been forced to return home without her?
to watch her get shot right in front of our eyes?
would have been very hard.

She escaped death twice...
once from Bill's rifle,
at the same instant Paige was reaching the road.
Unbeknownst to her, she placed herself in jeopardy,

Every time we leave our driveway,
there is a prayer we pray together in the car.
It is repetitious.
I don't care.
We say it faithfully and consistently.
We never leave without praying it.
In the prayer, among other petitions,
including Paige, if she is with us.

How many thousands of times has He heard and answered that prayer
safe, unharmed, the same as when we left?

My heart overflows with gratitude...
when I think what might have been,
and what God did.
He is so faithful.


Adam was the first man God created.
He created him in the image of Himself....
pure, holy, righteous, sinless, morally perfect.
Adam disobeyed God.
He sinned.
His wife sinned.
Together, they parented children.
Because of their disobedience to God,
their children and every child born after them
have come into this world with a propensity to sin.
As Adam was created directly by God,
so was Christ.
A human male was not involved in the conception of Christ.
The Holy Spirit overshadowed the virgin Mary's womb,
and the seed within her was conceived directly by God.
I Corinthians 15:45.)
It is inbred sin....
the carnal nature.
Some call it "the Adamic" nature.
One thing for certain, whatever you choose to call it,

The inbred sin causes us to commit sin.

Just as the Australian Shepherd breed is bred to herd sheep,
so we are bred to go contrary to God's commands.

Paige did nothing to cause her inclination to shepherd.
We did nothing to cause our inclination to sin.

Yet, the condition exists,
We see something that appeals to us,
and off we go.
It is just natural.
His sight is set....continually.
We don't even know it.
We don't realize it.
We become so caught up in what feels right

 walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..."
I Peter 5:8

Thankfully, we have a Shepherd.
A Master.
One Who faithfully calls to us when we are in danger.
So, He calls.
He beckons.
He warns.
He draws us His open arms.

I John 2:1

The One Who intercedes for us
The One Whose blood cleanses from all sin...
no matter how deep and dark and horrific the stain.

Romans 3:10

"All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
Isaiah 53:6

Jesus took our iniquities upon Himself.
He stretched out His precious, mutilated, bloodied arms
"Holy Father, I am guilty of Cheryl's sins.
All of them.
I take full blame, Father.
Don't punish her.
Punish Me, instead."

Jesus Christ was made to suffer....
for what I have done wrong.
Do you know how that makes me feel?
Put your name in the place of mine....
 and then you will have an idea...

Oh, my friend, do you hear it?
Do you see what He did?
It breaks my heart, but it is absolutely the truth.
My sins nailed Jesus to that cross.
So did yours.

But, I don't want you to despair.
He doesn't either.
I want you to take courage.
No matter what you are facing today,
no matter what your inherited nature has led you to do,
no matter what has side-tracked you,
no matter what has drawn you in to forbidden ground,
no matter how far you have gone,
no matter how long it has been,
Jesus loves you....still.
He died for you.

running full-speed on forbidden territory....
if you are struggling with the repercussions of transgressing His law
and dealing with the aftermath of going astray,
 the Shepherd's eyes are upon you.

He knew what you would do long before you did it.
He took the blame for every bit of it,
and He died for you anyway....
in spite of the fact that it cost His very life.

He is now, as we speak, calling you home.

Do you hear His voice?
Off in the distance?

All you have to do is listen and take heed,
leave forbidden territory,
come home,
repent, and fall into His open, forgiving arms.

 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
I John 1:9

If Paige hadn't responded to us that day,
she would now permanently rest beneath West Virginia sod.
And, here is the worst part.
Her tragic end would have affected more than just her.
Everyone who knows and loves her would be beyond sad.

If we don't listen to our Shepherd,
His call to come closer....
we will plunge ourselves into deeper peril....
bringing sorrow to not only ourselves,
but to everyone who cares about us.
The farther we drift from Him,
the less likely our chances to hear His voice...
and the greater the likelihood of satan pulling the trigger.

Perhaps it isn't you who has wandered.
a wayward, rebellious child,
an estranged spouse,
a lost parent, sibling, or friend.
It may look hopeless to you.
It may appear that they have drifted too far.
That the situation is irreparable....
the relationship unrestorable.
That they have drifted beyond the sound of the Shepherd's voice.
and they are down for the count.
If they still live and breathe, remember isn't over.
No matter how impossible it looks.

Remind them how much Jesus loves them...still.
that the fountain of cleansing still flows....
Don't give up, my friend!
Pray for their protection from self-destruction.
Bombard Heaven with their name.

What if we had given up?
What if we had stopped calling her name?
When the wind was against us?
When she seemed unreachable?
When it appeared impossible?

However hopeless things look today,
the truth is,
there is still abundance!
Jesus still searches for that one lost sheep.

Perhaps it is you.

Or maybe He just needs you to help Him find it.



  1. This is such powerful Truth...may we always listen to Him and what He wants for us. Thank you for sharing, friend! Blessings on your day! :)

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by, Mel...and for leaving encouragement behind! You are a blessing, my friend! Love, Cheryl

  2. Cheryl,
    I am so glad that I was that one sheep that Christ never stopped searching for!! Thank you for your beautiful writing from a beautiful and grateful heart! I've tried to comment several times and it never works...praying this one gets through. Blessings and love friend,

  3. Cheryl,
    I am so thankful that I was that one lost sheep that Christ never stopped searching for. Thankful for your writing from and beautiful and grateful heart! I've tried leaving comments before and it never works...praying this one gets through. Love and blessings friend,