The Good Shepherd

Walk out of your house like a shepherd.

  (Sufi proverb)

Have you ever wondered about the strong love of Christ that drew Peter and the other rough fishermen?  Or the hardened tax collecter, Matthew?  Or the woman at the well, whose heart had been broken five times and who must have developed a shell to protect her from further rejection?

When Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd,"  He was not using metaphor; He was putting words to His heart's desire to shepherd, to gather, to draw in those who wandered this earth without a home, without family, without love.  He carried with Him the love of God for all mankind, the cry of the Old Testament prophets to return to the Lord and to find pasture, to lie down in safety and without anxiety.

Jesus wanted to gather the lost and forsaken and to lead them beside still waters and to give them rest for their souls, and He promised that no one who came to Him would ever be turned away.

The Sufi proverb above is a powerful one; when we leave our homes "as shepherds," we are on the lookout for those who need shepherding, for those who are hurting, for those who are hungering for human touch and connection.  The love of God placed in us by the Holy Spirit gives us the heart and mind of Christ:  we too want to shepherd, to give respite and comfort, to provide for, those we meet along the way. 

Just for today, let us leave our homes like shepherds and discover who God puts in our path---watching for what God does is always a surprise and an adventure!