THE DISOBEDIENT LAMBS
Woody and Zack were two young lambs of the large herd of sheep that were under the care of the Good Shepherd.
Every morning the Good Shepherd took them out to eat the green grass in the meadow and drink the fresh cool water from the nearby stream.
His dog “Buck” liked to help Him keep the sheep all together, and the sheep enjoyed singing . . .
Woody replied, “You had better not think that way, Zack. You know that the Good Shepherd has warned us about the wild animals. And there would be no one to keep you company, no one to help you when you get caught in the fence. Not even Buck, the dog, to keep you from getting lost. And besides, I would miss you.
Then Zack replied, “Well, Woody, you can come with me. Why not? We won't have to obey anyone. We'll be free to do as we like."
"Oh, I don't know Zack, said Woody; it all sounds pretty scary to me."
"Hey, don't be such a big baby Woody. "Come on . . . I'm leaving. We can take care of ourselves."
And so the two lambs left the herd of sheep and their home and walked a long, long way . . . far from all they knew.
After a while they began to feel tired and hungry from their long journey. Woody said, "Gee, Zack, we look terrible. I feel all dirty, and there are small branches stuck all over your wool."
Zack replied, “I don't care, but I am really hungry and thirsty, so let's look for something to eat and drink."
So they looked and looked, but all they could see was brown dirt and a few bushes.
"Well", said Woody. "This was sure a great idea of yours. Now look at us. We have nothing to eat. We are all alone, helpless and probably in danger too. And I am so tired. I should have known better than to listen to you."
“Things will get better, I’m sure,” said Zack. “Here is a nice big bush for shade where we can take a little rest.” Then they fell fast asleep.
Suddenly, they were awakened by a very loud roar. “Oh,” said Woody, “Did you hear that? It sounded like a lion roaring.”
“Aww, that was just your imagination,” said Zack. But it happened again, and now they were both very frightened. They realized that there was no Good Shepherd to protect them from harm. Not even Buck, the dog, was there to help them.
“We are lost!” shouted Woody. “I’m scared. I want to go home!”
Then they began to sing. . .
Then they called out to the Good Shepherd for help. And they called out to Buck, the dog, but no one heard them because they were too far away.
Meanwhile, the Good Shepherd was calling his sheep in for the day, and he saw that Zack and Woody were missing. He asked Buck if he had seen them. But Buck barked that he had not seen them all day.
The Good Shepherd said, "Sometimes my sheep are not very smart, especially the little ones. They get in trouble, they are stubborn, and have minds of their own. But we must go and find them, Buck. They are part of my herd, and my job is to keep them safe. So off they went to look for Zack and Woody.
They called out to them time and time again, but no one answered. They walked and walked. Now it was getting late, but they kept looking.
Finally, they heard someone calling, "Here we are. Over here. Over here."
"Oh, I am so happy to find you." said the Good Shepherd, and Buck barked his approval too.
"We were wrong," said Zack. "I am so sorry that we ran away. It was my fault."
"I want to go home," said Woody. "I missed everyone. Thank you, Good Shepherd and Buck for finding us. I made a bad choice.”
“Come along now,” said the Good Shepherd. “We must hurry back to the herd. Everyone will be so glad to see that you are both safe.”
Together, Zack and Woody said, “We admit we were wrong. We will never run away again! We will obey you, Good Shepherd, because we know that you care for us and will always protect us.”
And so they walked all the way home singing,
And once again they were very happy sheep.
GOD WANTS ALL CHILDREN TO OBEY AND HONOR (RESPECT) THEIR PARENTS. EPHESIANS 6:1
GOD ALSO WANTS CHILDREN TO RESPECT ALL ADULTS WHO ARE IN AUTHORITY. HEBREWS 13:17
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