I’m now retired from the Michigan Department of Corrections, where I was a deputy warden for over 20 years.
Each day I went in and out of the gates of the prison, deeply aware of the feeling of freedom on one side of them, and the feeling of confinement on the other.
Recently, while I was walking by a field, sheep came and rubbed up against the gate. Perhaps the field felt like the prisons where I worked, and they wanted their freedom. I thought of how we are the sheep, often looking for an opening to what we think are our best interests. We feel hemmed in by rules and laws.
Jesus is the gate that protects us. He warns us about false shepherds who tempt us to stray but are quick to run away and abandon us when there is adversity. Jesus calls them robbers and thieves.
Wait on Jesus and pray. The more we know Him, the more likely we are to find His voice familiar. He loves us so much, He laid down His life for us. Only He can lead us through the gate to freedom and to the green pastures that restore our souls.