OUR GOOD SHEPHERD

I needed inspiration! Though the window near my computer provides a wonderful view of our backyard, the scenery wasn’t helping.  It had been a while since I’d thought about taking a walk. For several weeks, I’d invested my time driving to Naperville to visit my sister.  When I sat to write, she was gone, and I felt lost.  Though I had plenty to do, I didn’t know where to begin now that I had the time.  With that, I grabbed my jacket and ventured out into the sunshine.  Though the thermometer said it was only fifty-five, the bright sun promised warmth.  After shivering for the first five minutes of this trek, the sun kept its promise.  I was wonderfully comfortable the rest of the way. 

As I walked, I’d intended to gather my thoughts -an impossibility because Springtime’s array of greening lawns, blossoming tulips, and budding trees distracted me.  So, I gave up.  I absorbed the color around me and celebrated the promise of more beauty to come.  I was almost home when I experienced the unexpected.  A couple walking their dogs likely had no idea that their fluffy pets looked far more like sheep than dogs to me.  Because they were deep in conversation, I didn’t interrupt to ask the breed of those furry little fellows.  Rather, I watched with a smile as they continued on. 

While promising myself that I’d investigate the dogs’ breed, it occurred to me that I was supposed be thinking about sheep during that walk.  If I’d met those dogs when I headed out, I’d probably have had an idea immediately.  Of course, if I’d had that idea earlier, I’d have spent my entire walk planning this writing rather than enjoying Nature’s other gifts along the way.     

When I finally returned to my keyboard, I reread today’s scripture passages.  I reread the passage from John’s Gospel (10:11-18) three times.  Before my walk, I’d thought about the sheep with whom I’d come into close contact over the years.  When we visited my husband’s cousins in Croatia, I met the sheep they housed on their property.  When we visited Brookfield

Zoo with our grandchildren, the petting area which housed sheep was a mandatory stop.  We’d also walked among the sheep at Lambs Farm.  In Israel, I was fascinated by sheep and their shepherds.  I wondered if any of them were descendants of the sheep who inspired Jesus.  As I recalled those close encounters with my woolly friends, I told myself, “You have to love sheep!  They’re so adorable!”

I wondered, “Is this the reason Jesus referenced God’s people as sheep and himself as a loving shepherd?”  Before I began this reflection, I wondered further.  Had Jesus considered the annoying things which so often surround sheep and their habitats?  In Croatia, at the zoo, at Lambs Farm, and in Israel, certain aromas and other realities surrounded those fluffy mammals.  Throughout each encounter, we had to watch where we stepped.  We also discovered that a sheep’s “fluff” is actually wiry and rough-to-the-touch.  As I reconsidered the sheep I’d met throughout my life, I admitted that, if I’d taken a walk with any of them, I might not have found them to be particularly lovable after all.  Still, despite this honest observation, I also acknowledged, “But God above would do anything for us sheep…”

In his gospel, John shares Jesus’ description of a good shepherd.  Jesus respected shepherds because a dedicated shepherd dutifully guarded his sheep day-in and day-out.  Sheep knew their shepherd’s voice and they followed him closely when being led into and out of a pasture.  A good shepherd’s diligence allowed his sheep to live every day and night in safety.  Like the shepherds he respected, Jesus was determined never to allow any of his sheep to wander from his sight or his heart.  Despite our sometimes rough exteriors and our other unpleasant realities, Jesus keeps watch at our sides as well. 

I’m grateful that Nature’s beauty distracted me during that walk.  Perhaps Nature’s springtime array is meant to remind us all that God’s gifts are here for us to enjoy.  I think that enjoyment is also meant to remind us that God’s love and our Good Shepherd are always nearby.  It seems that our best response is to offer up a word or a “baa” of gratitude, to enjoy God’s gifts, and to share it all by caring for one another as our Good Shepherd cares for us.                                                                                                                  

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