Through every hour of every day and every night, Even in the moments I do not have the strength to fight, You are present, holding me in Your capable hands, And fighting for me, leading according to Your perfect plans.
Through all the tumultuous storms of this life, And every kind of mortal earthside strife, You assure me that You are still in control, And You draw near to comfort and console.
Through the endless stream of man-made turmoil too, And all the hurt us mortal beings to one another do, You promise that Your way will prevail in the end, And until then, You lead the way to love, reconcile, and mend.
Through the times I am overcome with fear, And all the moments I cannot feel You near, You say to cast my anxieties on You because you care for me, And tell me that feelings do not always correspond with reality.
Through every tear I have ever cried, And all the times I have come to You tongue-tied, You listen and understand all that I need, And when I have no words, Your Spirit is there to intercede.
Through all the moments when all hope seems gone, When I am weary and not sure I can continue on, You offer me the rest my soul does yearn for, And remind me, once again, that I do not walk alone anymore.
Through all the dead ends I find myself stuck in, By my action and inaction, that is, by my sin, You make a way where there is no way, And lead me out, never leading me on or astray.
Through all the walls I have built by my pride, And all the times I have tried to run from You and hide, You break through to reveal my transgression in loving conviction, And bring me back, redeeming me from my terminal condition.
And through the valley of the shadow of death, Even on the day that I take my last breath, You declare that I am not alone, And assure me that You will bring me home.
Through it all, You are faithful and true, And You see things from a much higher view. No circumstance here can thwart Your plans, And even now in the chaos, I am in Your steady hands.
Bringing the plight of someone to light, Whether brother or sister or stranger, Doesn’t mean we are saying that everyone else is all alright. It simply means we are caring for one who is suffering or in danger.
Pain is not a competition, Nor is comparing it particularly helpful. In fact, comparing it gives the enemy more ammunition, And creates a vicious cycle if we are not careful.
God created us with emotions and feeling. He is not intimidated by our inner turmoil or outer weeping. Lamenting is not the opposite of believing, If anything, it only means that we are more fully seeing.
He is near to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. And if we are following Him closely, Being among the hurting will be more than a short visit. He did not call us out of death to live for our comfort only.
The cost of our own comfort or semblance thereof can be high, It sometimes means further wounding those already hurting deeply inside. But that truth is easy to ignore if you drown out their cry, And live according to the desires of your foolish, selfish pride.
That pride seeks every way to devour, But the Lord calls us to humble ourselves and be patient, To grow in His love and to trust in His power, Not to be self-absorbed, apathetic, and complacent.
Our Savior we claim to follow was no stranger to affliction. He humbled Himself too and became the Lamb on the altar. He forgave even those who conducted His crucifixion. And by His blood, He reconciled us with the Father.
And if we belong to Him, then we also belong to each other. For He did not give us life to live on our own in isolation. We are strangers brought together to be sisters and brothers, A family united in Christ, who is the firm foundation.
This family is not just a community for good times, We are to share one another’s burdens and serve each other. Any group of broken people inevitably gets messy sometimes, But we are still better off together.
We are children of the Light, lamps made to illuminate the night. We cannot leave hurt or injustice in the dark, concealed. Our wounds and our sins must be brought out into the Light, For only when we are vulnerable together, can we truly be healed.
Let us build up and encourage those we encounter, And point to the Light of the world, Hope that is forever. Remember we are sons and daughters of Him who has the power, Through Him, we can learn to reconcile and love each other better.
I am an enigma, a mystery
What I say is not necessarily what I am thinking.
And what I do doesn’t necessarily represent my motivation.
I am a thousand piece puzzle,
With less than a thousand pieces present.
Even I cannot seem to put the pieces all together.
I am something that baffles,
Both myself and perhaps many others.
Chaos and confusion housed in my physical form.
I am an ocean of secrets,
And even I am afraid to swim to the ocean’s floor.
The depths are dark and dangerous, and not for the faint of heart.
But
To Him I am as clear as day,
Transparent, an open secret.
No clever words can mask what I’m thinking,
No lovely roses can hide the abhorrent stench of my sinning,
No sweat melodies can overpower the my internal screaming,
No fancy clothes can improve my being.
And
This is terrifying.
This is liberating.
This is the worst news.
This is the best news.
For healing can come only when the Healer knows what is ailing.
This past weekend, I went to a young adult conference. I was admittedly very cynical and a little anxious about it, but I went anyways. I have to say I am glad I did.
The final session was supposed to be about authenticity in missions, but the speaker (Miles Fidell) felt led by the Holy Spirit to completely change the subject after the first session that had taken place the night before. He changed his talk to the topic of anxiety, using John 10: 1-18 (Jesus as the Good Shepherd) and Psalm 23 as the major scriptural references. He started the session with a lot of talk about sheep. He discussed how sheep are defenseless in the face of predators and not particularly smart when it comes to survival. Sheep need a good caretaker to ensure that they eat, drink, and don’t become paralyzed under the weight of unshorn wool. Like sheep, we, too, need a Good Shepherd to lead us. We need Jesus. When we admit that we are not in control and that we are like sheep who need a Shepherd, there is a peace unlike any that the world offers. The Good Shepherd takes care of all the things that make us anxious in the best ways like only he can.
At this point, I really couldn’t help but smile and laugh quietly from my seat. First, this speaker was talking about anxiety when he had not originally planned to. Anxiety is an enemy that has a stronghold in my life right now. Anxiety almost kept me from going to the conference. Anxiety about work-related stuff and the future led to two complete breakdowns in the week leading up to the conference. Anxiety impacts my work, my sleep, my relationships, my energy levels, my faith, and every other aspect of my life. Second, he was talking about sheep. I currently work at a museum with two flocks of sheep. I have more pictures of sheep on my phone and computer than any normal person should have. I have spent time in a sheep pen, trying to film them even though they kept trying to get away from me, the scary stranger who invaded their pen. I have seen the farmers shear the sheep and I have seen the wool cleaned, carded, dyed, and spun into yarn. I may not have grown up on a farm or in an agricultural society, but I am very familiar with sheep.
Reflecting on the message after the fact, I really couldn’t help but think of our sheep at work. Every afternoon at around 3:00, our main flock of sheep is let out of their fenced-in enclosure and they run across the Village common to their nighttime home in the barn. There, they are sheltered, fed, and kept safe from the predators that lurk about at night. The sheep are familiar with this routine. If someone approaches the gate around 2:30 or so, they all come up to the gate, expecting it to be opened. Those unfamiliar with this daily routine (mainly, young lambs in the spring) simply follow those who do know the routine. It’s a sight to see:
While the sheep are familiar with this daily routine and they are going to a good thing (that is, food and shelter), occasionally they get distracted. Once on a beautiful spring day, we had a great crowd of visitors in the museum, many more people than usual. When one of the farmers opened the gate, the sheep ran out but some of them (especially the younger ones) got distracted by all the people around them (many of whom were laughing and squealing in excitement at the sight). They dispersed all over the town common, not really seeming to know where they were going. The farmers had to run after the sheep and carry some of them all the way to the barn where they would be safe.
How often are we like these distracted sheep? We know that our Shepherd (that is, Jesus) leads us to good things (the bread of life, protection from the evil one, etc.) but we get distracted by the circumstances around us. We see the situations in our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and world or we compare ourselves to others and we lose our focus. We flee. We run from the path that our Shepherd has for us. We run in the opposite direction of the truest food and the shelter that he wants us to be in. We run away from what is gold and chase after what is fool’s gold. We run after plans, individualistic paths, and glimmers of what the world calls freedom. We run away and we do not usually realize that we are running towards destruction.
If the farmers didn’t go after the sheep who had gone astray all over the common, those sheep would likely not survive for long. They certainly would not thrive. Though it is a major blow to our pride, the same can be said of us. Left alone and to our own devices, we can’t survive for long. The evil one will eventually overtake us. We are like prey to be devoured either now or later. If we do manage to survive for a little while, we certainly will not thrive. Jesus came so we could have life and life abundant. Apart from him, true life is not possible. Thankfully, our Savior is also a Shepherd who cares deeply for his sheep, so much he laid his life down for them, knows each one by name, and will not lose a single one. He goes after the one that is lost and brings it safely to the fold.
“So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
(John 10: 7-11, ESV)
Sheep can also be a bit stubborn in their running away and ignorance. This past spring, one of the sheep ran away from the farmer who was shearing it and managed to escape capture for some time. Shearing is a good (necessary) thing for the sheep but it still ran. The sheep would likely feel much freer and cool in the warmer weather but it tried to evade shearing. Multiple farmers had to work together to corner the sheep and eventually get it back to the skilled hands of the shearer. How often do we run away from what is good for us (that is, God and His promises for us) like a sheep runs away from a shearer? I know my answer: more times than I can count.
Thankfully, the Good Shepherd is one who does not abandon his wayward sheep. In the words of David, shepherd boy later turned king, the Lord is a shepherd who cares for all needs, leads in all good ways, and seeks more than contractual business meetings.
The speaker at the conference also helped bring the often cliche feeling words of Psalm 23 to life. If the Lord is our Good Shepherd, the often recited words of Psalm 23 carry great comfort, and not just for funerals. For if the Lord is our shepherd, He is provider and provision. There is no need to worry and fret about getting what we need. A shepherd makes sure his flock is fed. With Jesus, not only does he provide, but he provides himself. He leads us to places of rest in a world that never sleeps and restores our souls. He leads us along His path and not our own for the sake of His name. Sometimes the Shepherd does things that do not make sense to us. He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. We don’t want to go there but He leads us there. The key is that He leads us through the valley – not just to it. In the valley, He is with us. He prepares a table for a relational dinner where it is easy to lose track of time because we are enjoying one another’s company, not just a fast food working lunch that will result in a list of to-dos and plans to act on afterward. Our enemies (even anxiety) are around as He prepares this dinner, but they cannot stand long in His glorious presence. And with the Good Shepherd, all of his sheep shall dwell in God’s house forever.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
(Psalm 23, ESV)
We are easily distracted and often stubborn sheep who are not in control of our own stories no matter how much we plan or try to figure things out – but we belong to a faithful Shepherd who knows how to care for his sheep and help them when they are in trouble. That is a splendid relief for the burdened and anxious heart. We may be easily distracted sheep, but the Shepherd never takes his eyes or focus off of us, our needs, or our ultimate good.
