Sheep!

Throughout the New Testament, there are passages and stories of us (humans) being referred to as sheep and Jesus/God referred to as the Shepherd.  And throughout Guatemala, there seems to be a lot of things reminding me about the sheep/shepherd relationship through sculptures, Semana Santa afombras, and other things.  It's nice to have the reminder of the lesson I seem to continuously be learning.

Robin, the CPPC pastor, had sheep.  And with having sheep comes lots of stories of stupid things sheep do and how reliant they are on their shepherd for things (both in and out of their control).  This year, I have become a sheep in so many ways.  I have had less control in my life than ever before due to language barriers, strange flea attacks (can't control those buggers), medical issues, etc., and because I didn't have control, I didn't have a ready made solution.  That's been hard; I've felt helpless.  But then, I read this verse:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. - Matt 9:36

Other times, I've felt lost and confused... and then I jump to my favorite passage - the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.  But it gets better... before that story, it talks about Sheep!

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’  - Luke 15:3-6

Still other times, I've watched and felt my identity, the core of who I am being shifted.  Although this has been one of my primary prayers for the year, it's also been challenging.  The questions "who am I?" and  "How do I respond to this now that I know what I know and have been challenged in ways I never imagined?" have been asked so much.  It's reassuring to go to my leader and listen and be led and know that although I'm not sure if I know myself and I surely know that I don't fully know him, he knows me.

 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  - John 10:3

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.  - John 10:14-15

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:27

Then there are the times that I've felt like I've been at a dead end.  This has happened a lot with the recovery tract that seems to be moving at a snails pace after appendicitis.  I've been lost, tried to climb imaginary walls to get out of the dead end, and felt very astray and alone... then I read this.  

For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. - 1 Peter 2:25

Although being a sheep means that we're not the shepherd and therefore not in control, I'm learning that I can rejoice in being led and feel blessed by the knowledge that the Shepherd is with me when I don't know where I am, knows me when I don't know myself, and has compassion on me when there's so much fogging my view to see and think clearly enough to go and sit at his feet.

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep - Hebrews 13:20