Prompt thought of the week:
We too often look for security (love) in powerful figures, sure that they can “fix” things for us. It was no different for the people of the First and Second Testaments. They were looking for Kings, Saviors, and Liberators who would offer peace and security in uncertain times. And they often looked “in all the wrong places.” The Pharisees just can’t believe that this trouble-maker, rule-breaker named Jesus is the One, the Son of God and Savior. Time and again, Jesus uses the metaphor of a Shepherd to teach us how we ought to love and care for each other. No wonder; the Shepherd does what is needed when it is needed, regardless of the “rules.”
A naked truth: I have a love affair with wool. I am a knitter and the wool yarn softly needling through my fingers is meditative and prayerful. Two old wool blankets, handed down from my mother, warm and comfort me in bed at home and when I am camping. It also is no surprise that three of our dogs were Bearded Collies, sheep herders. Skye even became a national champion sheep herder. Our fourth dog, Pepper, also a herder, has become my comfort dog. When my twin sons and I first met Dale, he shepherded us with love and care and one of his first gifts were new soft, fluffy, fleece-like bath towels. Now, I subscribe to an email newsletter called “the Wool Channel.” I am learning that all around the world more women are shepherding, sheering and selling their specialized breeds of sheep’s wool. The opportunity to adopt a sheep in France has been offered!
As author Mark Buchanan suggests in God Walk, maybe sheep can change us. My relationship to shepherds, sheep and wool, connect me to God, just as it did for David in the Psalms. To me, sheep and wool mean comfort, love and companionship. Yes, the Lord is my shepherd.
Comforting God,
Thank you for animals and people who teach us about who You are.
Amen
Pat Parker