Tuesday, March 9: “Who is the Good Shepherd?”
Luke 15:4
New Revised Standard Version: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”
The Message (Version): “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it?”
Many people I know cherish this story. We teach it to our children, we reflect on Jesus the Good Shepherd, and find hope in its message. Like many stories we teach to our children, we sometimes leave the story in our childhood, and do not “see” the story with adult eyes. We do not realize that our role in this story is not just part of being Jesus’ flock, but that at times we find ourselves in the role of the negative Pharisees. Even scarier, we find ourselves needing to be the Good Shepherd and seeking out the lost sheep.
Question: What do we do to find the “sheep” that are lost?
Sometimes (more often than not) I feel like I am this lost sheep. I find myself wandering around lost and not knowing what to do. I often wonder if someone is going to come and find me, or if I must find my own way. I guess sometimes I get found just by people talking to me and letting me know they care, while other times I find my way back by talking to God. He helps me through many days when I am feeling “lost.” Without God and without those that share with me that they care about me, I may be lost forever.
I think its only natural to feel lost, many of us wont admit to it, but that is part of us being human. Its ok to feel lost, as long as you always find your way back. Wether thru word of God or thru your own Faith, we always find our way back. I feel blessed every day knowing that I am found by Jesus’ love.
One of our greatest fears in life is to be/feel abandoned. It is primal, and everyone has some anxiousness about this… it’s a matter of degree. What I do know for myself is that feeling loved is probably the most important state of being in my life. And too often I (we) depend upon the acclamation of others for that feeling. However, it only stays with us if it is a reflection of what we already know to be true… that we are loveable, claiming that for ourselves. If I don’t love myself, the love from others is fleeting. It actually can become an addictive behavior, seeking praise from others over and over again… and yet not claiming for myself that I am loveable.
So let’s hear it for self-love…
This story of the lost sheep is one of my favorites and I teach it to the toddlers who are in my care.
However…once the shepherd “finds” the lost sheep (me) the expectation is to use the strength given to me by God’s love NOT to fall into or to make those choices, that cause me to become lost again. Celebrate being found, being ME. God gives me the strength to listen -and to really believe- that I can find my inner strenth and find my own way!
Once I really was lost but now I’m found…was blind but now I see… what I can be!