SHEEP

 

Sometimes I think I am really smart and sometimes I think I am really stupid.

But actually I am neither one nor the other.

I am one sheep out of many and yet unique. (Sometimes uniquely smart or uniquely stupid, but that depends on the theme and the situation, haha!) 

But that´s not really important.

What is important is that I do have a shepherd who loves me wholeheartedly and cares for me. And who has no problem with me making a fool of myself. He is patient and stands by me. He saves me, even if it was my own fault that got me into trouble. Even if I do the same mistakes over and over again.

Stupid sheep? In some ways yes.

But: Sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd and trust him.

They don´t run away when he comes to get them or wants to help them.

That´s smart about sheep: to accept being found, helped and loved!

 

Psalm 23

God, my shepherd!

I don´t need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,

you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word,

you let me catch my breath

and send me in the right direction.

 

Even when the way goes through Death Valley,

I´m not afraid

when you walk at my side.

Your trusty shepherd´s crook

makes me feel secure.

 

You serve me a six-course dinner

right in front of my enemies.

You revive my drooping head;

my cup brims with blessing.

 

Your beauty and love chase after me

every day of my life.

I´m back home in the house of God

for the rest of my life.

 

My favorite psalm. Since I was twelve.

I still remember the first time I read it for myself:

It was at an English-Language-Camp in 1990, me sitting alone in a treehouse right next to the camp house.

The sun was shining on the wooden platform through the roof of leaves; down below on the meadow was a small flock of white sheep. It was quiet and warm and peaceful. I learned the paslm by heart (I can´t remember if it was a task or if it was my own idea) and God touched my heart.

I knew then that He was real and that He loved me and wanted to be my shepherd. I was so happy!

 

Some parts of this psalm I did not understand until sometime later. For example the “dinner in front of my enemies”: That did not sound attractive at all! I´d rather eat alone than in front of my enemies!

But it means that God is protecting me from my enemies (a sheep is rather helpless and especially more while eating); and even more: God is standing by me and pampers me in front of my enemies, in front of those who don´t grant me good. They can rail and grumble and be jealous: God pampers me and stands behind it! Baah!

 

Sometimes the shepherd leads us through a dry and dangerous (death-) valley. That´s surely nothing he does frivolously and without any reason. Actually he wants to bring us to lush meadows and quiet pools and keep us there. But we are still on the way. Not yet in (sheep-) paradise.

When it goes through a death valley, we don´t need to stay there, we don´t camp there. There is a way through. With Him at our side. 

 

The part of “beauty and love chasing” me is quite interesting too…

Am I running away from beauty and love and God has to chase me with that?

I fear that may be possible…

Sometimes we chase things and feelings instead of staying put and let us be found and blessed.

 

Waiting, being alert, living in the present.

So I can see the beauty and love that´s already here!

“Every moment is a gift.

That´s why it´s called the present!”

(I heard that quote on the radio at KTIS. The quote was new to me because this wordplay doesn´t work in German, so it was extra great! By the way: KTIS 98.5 is a really good Christian radio channel from Minneapolis that can be heard online or by app. Highly recommendable! And uplifting!)

 

To be “back home in the house of God”:

While on the road now and then for sure.

As a sheep.

Somehow it relaxes me a lot being a sheep. Expectations aren´t that high.

And it also helps me seeing all the others as sheep! They aren´t really smarter than me. They make mistakes themselves. Even the famous sheep.

We are one flock. And we have a really good shepherd.

One who puts his life on the line for us, one who gave everything for us.