“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.” — Psalm 23
A human shepherd admitted to me recently that sheep are “not very bright animals.” I have since heard this repeated by more than one sheep owner. Now if this is correct, it is hardly flattering for us Christians! Yet the beauty of the image in the 23rd Psalm is that it includes all of us. We are all exposed as vulnerable and in need of care and companionship, no matter what our ability or disability. The emphasis is not on the individuality or personalities of the sheep. The emphasis is on the bold and gentle, the unfailing love of this shepherd for these vulnerable sheep and the intimate relationship between the two.
What matters is not the intelligence or beauty of the sheep, but the character of this shepherd who cares for them and stays with them through thick and thin.
We are not alone. Baaaaa!
This message was adapted from “For You Are With Me” written by Melanie Alman McRae that first appeared in the April 2006 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.
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