My past two months in rural Eastern Europe have been characterized by one main thing – sheep.
They’re all around me. Everywhere I look I see sheep. And last month in Romania, our contact even had a pet lamb named Carl.
Now, sheep aren’t a new thing in my life. My name actually means “lamb.” And I was in a Christian sorority called Phi Lamb, with our mascot being the lamb – of course. So the concept of sheep has actually been present throughout my entire life. I even grew up in Sunday School classrooms with sheep painted on the walls and sang songs with words like “I just wanna be a sheep. BAAAA, BAAA, BAAAA, BAAAHHH.”
But it’s not until these past two months on the race that I’ve actually been around real, live sheep. After all, they’re not exactly a common occurrence in South Florida…
Being around all these sheep for the first time has made me aware of a part of God I’ve never really taken the time to grasp – God as my Shepherd.
This realization began literally the day we got to Romania. Gazing out the bus window as we rode from the Bucharest airport to our debrief location, I saw my first herd of sheep and noticed one little straggler lamb who had managed to wander down near a creek. God suddenly brought my mind to the story of the shepherd who left the 99 sheep to find the one in Matthew 18:10-14.
Then at our Romanian ministry location, I met Mihai, our contact, and his little lamb, Carl. Mihai loved Carl more than most people love their dogs, I think. And as I watched them together, God brought to mind the thought, “Mihai is a good shepherd – just like Me.”
Since then God has been reminding me of Scripture after Scripture, referring to God as a Shepherd. One of these passages was the ever popular Psalm 23.
I literally memorized this Psalm when I was in grade school. But, this time, I read the first line and just stopped for awhile – “The Lord is my Shepherd.”
“OK…The Lord is my Shepherd. Holy Spirit, help me wrap my mind around this part of who You are.”
And then I just began to rewrite the Psalm in my own words as the Holy Spirit gave me more insight. This is what I wrote:
“The Lord is my Shepherd – my leader, my caretaker. He shows me the way to walk and makes sure all of my needs get met. He uses what I have, just like a sheep’s wool and milk, to accomplish what He needs in His Kingdom. So I don’t need to long for anything. He gives me the rest, peace and tranquility that I need. He brings restoration to my most inward self. He shows me the way of righteousness, and I don’t need to figure it out on my own. He does all of this for His own glory, so the pressure doesn’t fall on me or the glory of my name. Even in sufferings and hard times, even when it appears to be the end, I don’t need to fear evil. God is always with me. Even if I can’t see Him, but can only see the Church or the Body of Believers, or something that reminds me of God, I can be comforted. Even when people oppose me, God still shoes me honor and meets my needs. God anoints me to the point where I can hardly contain the degree of anointing – I have to pour out and bless others. As I follow the Lord, His goodness and mercy follow me, becoming part of my character for the rest of my life. I will always be in God’s presence.”
I now feel like I am beginning to understand how much I really am like a lamb – sometimes stupid and quick to make mistakes but still useful and beloved in the sight of my Good Shepherd. And I’m understanding more and more what it means for God to be my Shepherd – the one who leads me, cares for me, and uses anything I have to offer for His glory.
In this revelation of God as my Shepherd, I began to realize that Shepherd is one of many parts of God’s character that I know in theory, but have never taken the time to understand and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to me. It’s so humbling to realize that even after walking with the Lord for about 9 years, I still have so much more of God to seek and find.
What are some of the names and characteristics of God that you have yet to fully grasp?
***Full recaps on India, Romania and Ukraine are coming at the end of this month. I promise.***
