The Good Shepherd loves us so much that He has laid down His life for us to save us. It is a guaranteed free gift from God. We are saved no matter the mess we find ourselves in. But we need to be within the sheepfold, we need to identify ourselves as His sheep and the sheep recognize the voice of their Shepherd. Do we recognize the voice of our Shepherd? Discerning the voice of the Shepherd requires an intimate relationship with the Shepherd, else it is very easy to get distracted. Hearing the voice of God, talking to us isn’t supposed to be a previlege for a few but common to all of us. The Lord loves us immensely, there’s no doubt about that but it is we who have to respond to His love. This love isn’t a bed of roses. It is a choice that we make and requires endurance to hold on even if the challenges seem to distract us.
We have to realize that it is God’s love that can transform the useless into something very useful. Peter denied Jesus thrice but through the experience of Jesus’ love he is transformed and ready to be a witness for Jesus. The same Peter who denied Jesus because he was afraid of condemnation is seen preaching about Jesus before authorities unafraid of the consequences.
Have we really allowed God to love us? To transform us? Or have we kept him at arms length? Are you going to open your heart to the Good Shepherd to know him better?
—-
Another Reflection
Why would a shepherd lay down his life for sheep, plain sheep? The answer is simple; the sheep is his family.
The very act of knowing and acting out one believes, spells out, if one believes or one is just hopeful, or one is not convinced. But this believing also expresses in a silent way, to God/Jesus, whether He can come and work with us in our own lives. It is the difference between coming into Jesus’ flock, or consciously staying away from Jesus’ flock. And Jesus is not the thief to come and steal us to His flock, nor is he the strong man (in the worldly sense), to come and pressurise us into coming into His flock. He respects the freedom He has given us, and respects the decisions we make. But He is ever hopeful, and looks forward to those not His flock, choosing to be part of His flock.
As the Good Shepherd, whose family we become, He knows what we require at every moment, and He leads us and satisfies us. Like Him! Follow Him!
