My Sheep

 "I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day...I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again." Ezekiel 34

 
As the toy car flew past my face and hit my leg, I thought to myself, "Wow, that just missed my head." For reasons unknown, my granddaughter thought it was good idea to throw the car over the stair railing into the room where we were sitting. Mom and dad quickly and firmly communicated to her that she had found a bad idea. Meanwhile, little brother, who follows her every lead, had made his way up the stairs with the car in hand. The command for him to not throw the car and the car itself hit the air at the same time. He's discovering the need to be a bit more discerning in who he follows.
 
God, through Ezekiel, had a lot to say about shepherds. In his word to Ezekiel, God spoke to the sharp contrast between the current leaders or shepherds of Israel and himself. They had abandoned the people. They had neglected the weak and the sick. They refused to pursue the lost. As a result, God told these leaders that he now considered them his enemies. God, however, promised to search for, find and rescue his scattered flock. He said he would no longer allow these failed shepherds to abuse his flock. He promised to lead them to the green pastures where they could lie down in peace.
 
Who or what are we following these days? We may or not appreciate the sheep/shepherd metaphor, but it works, doesn't it? Can my restless soul find meaning and purpose? Are we significant or is our existence nothing more than a meaningless blip in the timeline? Are we headed somewhere good? The Bible tells us that the answers to those questions are found in the answer to the question, "Who are we following?" Or, in the spirit of the verses, "Who is our shepherd?" Jesus revisited this shepherd/sheep conversation with a startling claim: "I am the Good Shepherd." He then proved it by laying his life down for the sheep and then raising it up again victorious over all that would seek to harm his sheep. Who or what are you following these days? 

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