Prone to Wander

“Little Johnny, your mommy is at the front of the store waiting for you.”

If you’ve ever been in a large department store, you have inevitably heard a similar message roar across the store speakers. As a child, I once walked away from my mom while we were in the mall. Who knows what distracted me? A shiny pair of shoes, a flashing store sign, or perhaps a sparkle on the floor. Upon looking all around, my mom found me standing by myself. I had wandered away in a moment of distraction.

The wandering does not stop once we enter the teenage years or young adulthood. Every time I go shopping with a group of friends, there is always one friend who disappears from the group. You know, the one who spots the clearance section and is gone before you can say, “deal”. As women, we are prone to wander when we are distracted by ideas, thoughts, or feelings.

In our lives, distractions can easily pull us away from our walk with God. The Bible says that by nature, we are a lot like sheep. “The Lord is my shepherd” and we are His sheep (Psalm 23:1 ESV).

 Sheep, left alone, are defenseless. When they encounter danger, they run away. Likewise, our response to fear can be to run off. We need a shepherd to shield us when we are fearful.

Without a shepherd, sheep would starve. They would roam the pasture, but never go in search of new lush green fields. They rely on the shepherd to lead them to food to graze. We are in constant need of direction.

Left to our own selves, we are drifting and doubtful. Our Father knows our need for a leader. Upon accepting Him as the Lord of our life, we have the opportunity to follow our shepherd.

Often, though, we lose sight of our need for a shepherd. We become like the child in the store who wanders off, in pursuit for the thing his eye sees. We forget that in our Father, we have everything we need. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence (ESV).

How do we remind our ever-forgetful heart of this truth? I think being in the Word, God’s Word, is a good way to keep our eyes fixed on the character of God. We read stories of how early disciples telling Jesus to do something about the raging storm and He calms it with one word (Mark 4:35-41 ESV). We read Jesus reminding us to “seek the glory of Him who sent Him” by knowing “the teaching” (John 7:17-18 ESV). As we read His Word, we remind ourselves of the strength and power that is available when we depend on our shepherd.

Lord, I am so prone to wander. Often, times get tough and I run away from you. When I am lost, I wonder why You seem so far away. You desire to be the shepherd of my life. I am often directionless and doubtful of your goodness. I realize my need for your shepherding in my life. Thank you for your rod and staff. Thank you for leading me to still waters and green pastures. As I go through my day, may I be reminded of your character. When life seems more than I can handle and I want to run off in fear, may your ever calm voice draw me back.