Ch. 488 - Baaaaaa...

This may sound somewhat strange to just say outright, but I love reading about sheep in the Bible - especially lost sheep. I think it's important to remember that Christ is our Shepherd. He watches over us. He guides us. He protects us. We are like sheep in that we sometimes go astray and that we need guidance. We need to be led. We like to believe that we'll be fine on our own, but that is not realistic. Without guidance, we will be lost. We want to go explore the whole world - after all, the grass is greener on the other side, right? And I think that's perfectly fine... as long as we don't go running along so quickly that our eagerness gets us into trouble. We need help. We need counsel. Jesus gives us all these things as our Shepherd. He keeps our best interests at heart. He may let us wander off on our own for a bit, but when things become too risky, too dangerous, He guides us back to where He can fully "see" us. Shepherds protect their sheep. They are willing to give their lives for their sheep, as shown to us in John 10:11:

' "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." '

Christ gave His life for His sheep, us. As our Shepherd, we know Him and He knows us. I think we are also like sheep in that we are created with a purpose. For example, sheep are raised for their wool, usually. We have purpose[s], too. For some, it's to teach. For others, it's to proclaim the Gospel in other countries. Still for others, it's to simply love others and plant seeds. We do these things under the constant guidance of our Shepherd, who loves us and takes care of us... even when we get to those points in life at which we don't think He's watching.


'Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.'
[Psalm 100:3]