894 I'm Stuck Again

Living with yourself is sometimes frustrating. You kinda screw this thing up a lot, don’t you? It’s as if the “do good” button in you is broken and you can’t get it fixed. You do good, until you don’t … then you’re back on the struggle bus where you have an assigned seat. Were you created to always struggle? Were you designed to fail? Are you destined for this continual up and down, in and out, doing good/then stuck again routine for all your days? No honey, you’re just created to need Jesus. You’re designed to follow him. You’re destined to a relationship with the one who can guide you exactly where you need to go. Have you seen the video titled “My walk with Jesus, summarized”? I’ve watched this video on repeat now for the past day and I can’t get enough of it. It’s hilarious and it’s painfully true at the same time. Just in case you haven’t seen it let me explain. Along a dirt road, there’s a long, narrow ditch dug out. In the ditch is a sheep stuck head first. A young man comes and pulls on the sheep’s leg to free him from the ditch. The sheep stands up, shakes off the dirt, and joyfully jumps and runs with the expression, ‘yahoooo, I’ve been saved.’ Exactly 4 seconds later, with one valiant leap, it lands itself squarely back into the same ditch. Head first, feet up, stuck again. Yip, that’s me. Is that you? In need of continual rescue. Always getting ourselves stuck in something. Like I said, it’s exhausting living with our own selves sometimes. Didn’t we just get out of the last mess? Didn’t God just rescue us from our last fiasco, now we’re in one again? Seems to me like at some point God’s gonna get tired of pulling us out every 4 seconds from our ditch diving. But this is why we have a Shepherd. Jesus said in John 10: 14-15 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” We aren’t left alone to wander through our lives. We don’t have to figure this out on our own, which is really good news because if you’re like me, you still haven’t figured it all out. Guess what … you never will! You’re not supposed to know! Isn’t that reassuring! You’re not inherently broken with a messed up compass, you’re divinely designed to need a shepherd. Sheep don’t live without a guide, neither do you. Your guide is always with you. You are never alone. He knows the way and all you have to do is continually stay close to him. The Shepherd goes before the sheep to make a way for them. He ensures the path is safe, the way is clear, the enemies are removed. Just imagine a shepherd removing briars that would entangle the sheep. See him staring at the cliff knowing the sheep would surely stumble and fall, so he makes a path where it is safe instead. Envision him leading the sheep down that path, continually looking back to make sure all are staying close to him because he knows the dangers nearby. He knows how they could get stuck. He knows how they could fall. But he makes a way by going ahead of them, then calls them on behind him. Look around sis … are you following Jesus, or have you wandered off into dangerous territory on your own? Did you pray about this before you stepped into it? Did you seek his guidance before you took that leap? Or are you like that sheep in the video who takes his leap of freedom right back in the same darn ditch where he was stuck before? Jesus, come save me! Get me outta here. I’m stuck again. And …. here comes Jesus. Now sweet sheep, stay with me this time. James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,