Follow Your Heart…Maybe Not

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 53:6; Hebrews 8:10

“Let’s see the animals!” Kaylee was excited to spend the weekend at Emma’s house. She only had a Chihuahua at her family’s apartment.

“Okay, hold on!” Emma said, laughing.

The girls skipped along the path, serenading the goats and pigs as they passed their pens. They had just finished a movie about a girl who followed her dream to become a famous singer.

“You can do anything you want, be anyone you want, and be a star…if you only follow your heart!” the girls sang loudly as they danced and spun around the hay bales.

“Wait!” Emma raced to the sheep pen. “Oh no! The gate is open!” She quickly counted the sheep, then glanced around the pen. “Fluffy is gone!”

After Emma closed the gate, the girls raced around the farm to find Fluffy. Suddenly, they heard a loud horn from the main road. To their dismay, Fluffy was standing right at the edge of the busy highway.

“Fluffy!” Emma and Kaylee walked quietly so they wouldn’t startle the frightened animal. Gently, Emma guided the trembling lamb back to safety.

“Wow, that was crazy,” said Kaylee breathlessly.

“Yeah, sheep aren’t that bright. They don’t always make the wisest choices. That’s why they need us to help them,” explained Emma.

“Sounds like our Sunday school lesson from last week. Remember?” Kaylee said thoughtfully. “Jesus calls us His sheep because we often get led astray. We can easily make wrong choices if we don’t look to Him for guidance.”

“Yeah, and we know how much God wants to help us. Just think about how He sent His only Son to die for our sins. Now that’s being a Good Shepherd!”

As she brushed Fluffy’s soft wool, Emma began to hum the movie’s theme song.

Kaylee joined in, singing, “You can be a star, if you only follow your—” She stopped abruptly. “You know, Emma, the words of that song aren’t really true. The Bible says we can’t trust our hearts unless they’ve been changed by Jesus. We need to follow Him and trust Him to guide us as our Good Shepherd.”

“You got that right!” Emma smiled as she hugged her wooly friend. “We don’t want to walk a dangerous road like Fluffy!” Emily Rudolph

How About You?

Have you ever heard someone say, “Follow your heart”? Maybe you’ve seen that message on a T-shirt or heard it in a movie. It may sound nice, but in practice following your heart will lead you astray if done apart from God. Instead, look to Jesus for guidance and trust Him to put His desires in your heart. He tells us in John 10:11, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Follow Him.

Today’s Key Verse:
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Follow Jesus