At the Hands of the Shepherd by Tara McDonald

Sheep have some of the most unintelligent minds in the entire animal kingdom. Their stupidity is sometimes frightening. A flock won’t move unless they’re following at least one sheep that seems to know where he’s going…. and this is not often the case. In eastern Turkey in 2006, 400 sheep died because one of them tried to cross a fifteen-meter deep ravine and the rest kept following. Sheep have terrible eyesight, and it isn’t surprising in the least to see them crash into obstacles, back up, and then crash into them again. Since they are almost entirely covered in wool, the only highly sensitive area of the sheep is on its face. You can imagine what distress this causes. While they will follow their shepherd, the sheep resist his guidance and stray off on their own. Without the shepherd, steep and dangerous terrain can easily get the best of the dim-witted sheep. Even if they ignore him, the shepherd will come looking for his lost sheep to save them. While the sheep simply trot about brainlessly, the shepherd puts all of his effort into keeping them together and safe. If the sheep don’t follow and begin to stray, the shepherd uses force and punishment, if only to keep his flock from greater pain in the end. He himself will lead them to green pastures, clean waters, and safe places to rest; he doesn’t trust his job to an inadequate amateur.

God uses images like these in the Bible as perfect depictions of His relationship with us. Instead of a Shepherd, we have God. In the place of a flock of ridiculous sheep, we have us. John 3:1-2 reads, “See what love The Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” God is our Shepherd and our Father. We are His children and His flock. What father doesn’t want the best for his children? What shepherd doesn’t want his sheep to be safe? Our Shepherd wants to snatch us out of harm’s way the moment we step into it, but sometimes He waits until we’ve experienced the consequences of rejecting His guidance. It’s not that God wants to see us hurt, but he wants us to repent and come back to Him. We don’t know to do so unless we know what it is like without Him. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, ESV).

Human beings can sometimes be guilty of blindly following each other. People get so excited when someone stands up for what they think, that before we’ve even looked at what that person is saying we have made sacrifices and choices for something we don’t even understand. Even if that person is leading us into a fifteen-meter deep ravine, we follow them blindly and passionately if we don’t stop to think our actions through. Since going to God to find out the truth is so tedious and hard, we just act on our emotions and what we think our ‘heart is telling us’. Let me tell you something – Listen to your heart AND DIE. We were born with imperfect emotions; often times, your emotions are going to deceive you. Don’t act on them just because of how you feel in the moment. Zechariah 7:11 illustrates this wonderfully: “But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.” They shut their ears and listened to their own counsel. I’m guessing that they ended up at the bottom of a ravine.

We may profess to be following Christ, but is that what our actions show? Do you join when the flock goes another way, or do you keep following the Shepherd? You may try to believe that you’re on the path God wants you to be taking, but are you really trying to achieve the end result on your own? You can’t handle God’s job, so don’t try. You can’t lead yourself to peace, nor can anyone else. Many people try to find peace in places that provide only momentary rest and ultimately end in discontent and turmoil. God asks that we come to Him for rest, for He promises to give it to us completely and freely. “I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down” (Ezekiel 34:15). The only way that you will end up on the right path is if you are following the right leader. Listen. He’s calling you. He’s holding out his staff to show you the way. He’s standing between you and pain. Do you choose to listen and obey, or are you going to try to fight life’s battles yourself? Even though he cares for us with his own hand, we still stray from His chosen path, forget his blessings, and try to live our lives how we want. As a human born with a sinful nature, I will always sin; this does not mean, however, that I will always stray. Even when I walk beside Jesus, I will still stumble; that only means that it’s easier for Him to catch me. Jesus, the wise and forgiving Shepherd, loves me, an unwise and imperfect sheep. Even when I struggle and resist, He will never stop trying to lead me home.

Tara McDonald is a sophomore in high school and a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake, CA. We meet Sunday mornings at 9:30. To find out more you can log onto our website at www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org or call 760-935-4272