Even animals come home.
Even Animals Come Home
Last year, our beloved cat did not come home for fourteen days. I was very worried about her. I thought something bad had happened—maybe she had been hit by a car or attacked by bigger animals. My heart ached for our cat, and I thought she might already be dead.
But one afternoon, she came home—dirty, hungry, and very thin. Oh, joy filled my heart! Our cat had been lost, but she found her way back home. Maybe some instinct told her that being with us was better than being on her own.
Then I began to wonder: Does God feel the same way when we are lost and cannot find our way home? Does His heart grieve for us when we choose to live on our own and deny His presence in our lives?
Our cat tried to survive by herself for many days. Thankfully, she learned her lesson. She came back, and we were so delighted that she trusted us with her life again.
Jesus answered that question through the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3–7). He told of a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. When one wandered away, the shepherd left the ninety-nine in the open country and went in search of the one that was lost until he found it. And when he found it, he joyfully placed it on his shoulders and carried it home. Then he called his friends and neighbors together and said, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep." Jesus concluded by saying that there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
What a beautiful picture of God's heart! Unlike our cat, who eventually found her own way home, we often need a Shepherd to come looking for us. That is exactly what Jesus does. He pursues us with His love, calls us by name, and lovingly leads us back into the safety of His fold.
I believe God rejoices whenever we put our trust in Him—when we choose to walk with Him in this dangerous world, let His Word guide us, and place our burdens into His hands.
Jeremiah 8:7 says:
"Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord."
Jeremiah reminds us that even the birds know the seasons, places, and ways that the Lord has created for them. Yet people often choose to go their own way, even when it leads to destruction.
We were created by a loving God who has given us every reason to come home to Him. In His presence there is protection for the vulnerable, peace for the troubled heart, strength for the weary, love that never fails, and joy that remains even in difficult times. Outside of Him, there is uncertainty and despair.
If you have wandered away from God, remember this: the Good Shepherd has never stopped loving you. His arms are still open, and He is still calling you home. It is never too late to return. The moment you turn back to Him, you will discover that He has been seeking you all along.
As one anonymous writer beautifully expressed:
Oh keep my soul then, Jesus,
Abiding still with Thee;
And if I wander, teach me
Soon back to Thee to flee.
Thought for the Day
"The Shepherd never stops looking for His lost sheep. When you come home to God, heaven rejoices."
