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The Good Shepherd


On my journey back to the Lord I slowly, but surely realized I was going to have to let go of a lot of things in my life. These things we can't avoid; our own will, our self-righteousness and judgement and the way we are self-trained by life to deal with disillusions, heartbreaks, rejection and anger. However, there came a point where I knew I was not dealing with any of these things the best way I could. Staying transparent to you is a goal I desire to keep transmitting through my blogs. I recognize my broken relationships, my anxiety, self pity, resentments and unhappiness were consuming my mind and heart and I had no peace. I had no safe place. I had no hope. All I did was dig deeper and deeper into this dark and deep black hole.

In this Blog I want to share some of the very real struggles I had and some of the struggles I still face today. #TheStruggleIsReal, BUT NOW with JESUS so are the #BLESSINGS ... can I get an amen?

The word of God says Jesus relayed a story about a shepherd leaving 99 sheep to go look for 1 lost sheep. If you have never heard a message on this parable and aren't familiar on what Jesus is illustrating then it is a humble honor to share the explanation of my understanding how this parable illustrates the relationship between Jesus and  (us) His sheep... Shepherding is a trade that has been around for thousands of years. Shepherds need to have knowledge of the land in which they are caring for the sheep and it takes practice and continuous, disciplined structured labor to get a flock of sheep used to their shepherd's voice. Sheep recognize each other. Sheep recognize voices and faces. Sheep get depressed. Sheep avoid company when they are sad and want to be social when they are happy (distinctive and bipolar mood swings- familiar?). Their survival depends highly on staying close and together. When sheep are alone their predators know they are most vulnerable. A shepherd knows his 1 lost sheep MUST get back to it's flock ASAP.

Important fact: Sheep are very submissive prior to being slaughtered💔🐏

Sheep are mentioned over 200 times in this really old and ancient book called the Bible and the Bible describes Jesus as the "perfect lamb of God", Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, yet when He was afflicted he opened not His mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, (and my favorite part of the verse) and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he not opened his mouth"... Here we see a comparison of the perfect lamb of God to the submissive character/traits of a sheep.

Being a shepherd requires being in tuned with the needs of these sensitive, intellectual animals. It is heart breaking what the wilderness represents to a sheep that is out there alone. Jesus tells us that His sheep will learn to listen for the sound of His voice John 10:22 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

As sheep that belong to the good shepherd, we yearn to learn to condition ourselves to follow the sound of His voice. Because the wilderness represents something different for everyone. Being alone out in the world without a voice of reason is dangerous and when we become set in our ways and condition ourselves to hear our own voice and those of people that may not be in any better condition than us can bring serious consequences and a lot of self destruction.

But, how do we practice learning to recognize our shepherd's voice? ...
Lots of quality time of course (prayer/worship)❤🙏Also, knowing His traits, learning who He is, what His teachings are and what they represent in our own personal lives... Studying things He likes and dislikes (through scripture)... I love reading the gospels of Marc and John and listening to teachings on His parables. Please check out the most recent series on "Savage Jesus" by Elevation Church on their YouTube channel!

Our shepherd loves us. Our shepherd will leave 99 sheep and come pick us up if we go astray- Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray! Our shepherd, AKA the perfect lamb of God, kept His mouth shut and obeyed His calling with upmost humility for our sake because of LOVE. We could never be like Him, we can try out of the love we have for Him, but new creatures, redeemed and forgiven doesn't mean "sinless"... However, we are still LOVED. The word of God says we were loved while we were still living in sin. Even when we deserved death He gave us life.

This is to give witness of a sensitive, caring, loving shepherd that wants the best for His flock. In my heart and in the emotional and mental condition Jesus found me, I just couldn't refuse such tender love and care. Jesus took me in and brought me back to the His flock.

THERE ARE STILL TIMES WHEN I GET DISTRACTED FROM MY SHEPHERDS VOICE!
I'm only human. I'm still trying my best and even when I fail miserably out of LOVE for my shepherd and what He has done for me I refuse to give up and give into the guilt and shame that my sin and mistakes try to bear on me!
In Christ our sin and our mistakes do not shame us, rather they correct us and we learn to be better NOT PERFECT.  
My heart is still vulnerable and exposed to my imperfections, but there is a voice in the wilderness that I am aware I need to be willing to follow. Jesus didn't say it would be easy. However, it is worth it!

Jesus will never force Himself on us... it is 100% our responsibility to be to be ready to listen to the sound of  THE shepherds voice.

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