The Only Mystery

The cows figured out a new way to escape the friendly grass filled pasture this afternoon.  Why any single one of them would prefer to wander through the rough terrain of the wooded branch on the other side of the fence is a mystery to everyone but the cows.  Maybe it is just the attraction of something on the other side of the fence.  Maybe the other side of the fence speaks of the proverbial apple in the garden which the Word simply identifies as a piece of fruit.  While the transgression of the cows is not going to get them thrown out of the pasture, it certainly does raise concern for their safety until they are finally back where they belong.   

I suppose it is no different than our ventures over the fence.  Sometimes greener grass appears in strange and surprising ways.  Instead of living in a place where the words of Christ guide us in our relationship with one another, we often choose to climb over into the rough terrain of anger, resentment, and brokenness.  We know it is not where we have been put to live, but we choose to walk into that way, nonetheless.  Like a lot of folks before us we do not always do the good we want to do.  (Romans 7:19)    

It is a good thing we have a loving, merciful, and forgiving Heavenly Father, or we would be thrown out of the pastures where we have been placed to graze and live.  There may be many things we cannot know and understand about God, but the fact that He is forgiving beyond measure is no mystery.  The only mystery is why He continues to forgive and love us and enable us to return to the place where we belong when we seem so persistent in making other choices.  No matter how many times we choose to wander away from where we have been created to live, He works to restore us and get us back home.