try the gate

Thursday May 19^th, John 10:  1 "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  In Gerhard Forde’s book, “Where God Meets Man” he describes humanity as being in sort of a holding pen called the world.  At one end is a gate, and in the middle of the gate a cross.  Most try to find some other way out.  Jesus is the gatekeeper, he is the one on the cross who says, “Come follow me.”  Most of us, most of the time, want to follow the one who came over the wall and incites us with the message that we can escape this pen all by ourselves without going through that cross.  It doesn’t work and we know it, but we try anyhow.  Jesus continues to call us to follow.  In the end we all do follow.  Many of us however miss the joy that actually comes from carrying that cross a way in this life.