We have been home for almost a month now from our journey and I can't help but be amazed at the recall of information that takes place daily in my mind and in my heart of the things we learned. I truly believe that it is because we walked and learned with our feet that we are remembering.
This morning I was so blessed by Pastor Tom's message on being sheep. (it will be posted here this week) I think sometimes I feel like life is so divided between spiritual stuff and daily stuff and I have a hard time reconciling those worlds. I know they aren't divided but I am just trying to learn how to live in normal life with eyes that see deeper. Lately I have been battling with myself to just let it happen, to not always crave so much depth; not because I think it is wrong but because I have the gift of joy and don't want to suffocate it. I hope that makes sense, that I can say what I think is true without sounding like I am puffing myself up.
All that to say, I think TK has a way of just bringing it. Plain and simple, says what is true and I need that. So today, I sought out the connections in the songs we sang to things I am learning and thought about the picture of sheep. I love that we have such visual pictures to connect with the text and think about how we are following. The thing about sheep is that they are not smart but have the wisdom to follow. All they know how to do is follow the shepherds voice, to be herded together and move into the places they are directed. I love the tenderness of the shepherd, that if one sheep is lost he will go to find him.
Ezekial 34:11 "For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them."
It amazes me the depth of God's love in this passage as it goes on to talk about bringing the sheep to good pastures and shepherding with justice. My heart response this morning to the question of how am I following is that I think I have been hanging in the back of the herd for the past two weeks, wandering around within the pack but not as in tune to his voice as I could be.
This is a picture of a Shepard boy that we saw in the desert area and the flock of sheep in the picture above shows it best that sheep are community beings. They don't exist alone (that life is for the goats who are independent). To be good sheep, we have to be following the Shepard's voice together. To hear it for each other when one of us is struggling, wondering which way to go, what to believe and how to live. So we can't go alone. My natural response when I realize I am not walking as tight to the pack as I could be is to try and "get better" but I think that for all of us the only way to move forward is with another, sharing openly and asking for help where we need it. And we all need it. What a beautiful picture of community, simple sheep following the voice of the Good Shepherd together.
Thanks for the visual pictures to Tom's sermon. I'm really loving reading all of your posts from Israel.
ReplyDeleteThe sermon and your post made me think of this quote that I've "carried" with me since college.
"This is the blessed life, not anxious to see far down the road nor overly concerned about the next step, but following the Shepherd, one step at a time."