First, I want to apologize for the missed meme last week.  If you follow my blog or social media, you know I am dealing with some health problems.  From time to time, they interfere.  But let’s get to this awesome meme!  I’m not from the country but I’ve driven through it… a lot!  And believe me, there are dead possums on the road ALL the time!  Those animals know how to find a road!  So this meme just tickled me to death!  I laughed for a good five minutes!  

This meme is so funny but it is also so true about our lives.  How many of us get off the road and lost in the woods?  We are walking with God, headed the way he wants us to go, maybe even walking arm in arm, and then all of a sudden we find ourselves off the road.  Not just to the side, but so far out the road is no longer in sight. We experience that “oh no” moment.  We may have been led astray, off the road, or maybe we took ourselves off the road.  However, we now realize what we have done and boy, are we in trouble!  

You see, any time we are off the road God has set before us, we are not in God’s will.  This is a dangerous place to be. We are on our own and quickly out of our league (spiritually). 

One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead.
Proverbs 21:16 ESV

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

Luke 15:11-16 ESV

Just like that son, we have wandered away from the Father.  Maybe we chose to, knowingly, or maybe it happened slowly, without us realizing it.  Whichever way it happened, we need to get back to the Father. So what do we do?  We need to find our possum.  The possum will lead us back to the road.  So what is our possum?  Jesus is our possum.  We need to stop, repent of what we have done and seek him out.  He will lead us back to the road and, as our shepherd, will protect us from the wolves.  

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:17-24 ESV

The son went back to his father and asked for forgiveness.  Jesus, through this parable, is telling us that no matter what has happened, just return to the Father and ask forgiveness. 

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:1-7 ESV

This parable is another instance of Jesus showing us that he loves us, even when we go astray. The sheep got distracted or curious and wandered off.  It was no longer under the protection of the shepherd and was extremely vulnerable to the wolves and other dangers of the world.  However, just because the sheep wandered, the shepherd did not quit loving it and caring for it.  The shepherd went after the sheep.  

As sheep, we need to call out to our shepherd, Jesus, and ask him to bring us back to our road. Jesus does not condemn us when we do this.  In fact, he rejoices that you have decided to repent and come back.  Despite the circumstances that got you off the road, Jesus is celebrating that you want to get back on. It might take some work to get back to the road, but with your eyes on him, following him, you will be back on it soon. And thankfully, for us, we won’t have the same ending as the possum! 

Have you been taken off the road, or wandered off?  

What took you off the road?  

Spend time praying about your diversion and ask God to forgive you.

Focus on Jesus and let him lead you back to the road.  

Sign Up to receive these devotionals in your inbox every Monday!

Meme pictures derived from social media and shared under Fair Use Copyright Law

FOLLOW ME