Don’t beat yourself up when you feel helpless to overcome on your own.
“Sheep aren’t smart. They tend to wander into running creeks for water, then their wool grows heavy and they drown. They need a shepherd to lead them to “calm water” (Psalm 23:2).
They have no natural defense—no claws, no horns, no fangs. They are helpless. Sheep need a shepherd with a “rod and shepherd’s staff” (Psalm 23:4) to protect them.
They have no sense of direction. They need someone to lead them “on paths that are right” (Psalm 23:3).
So do we.
We, too, tend to be swept away by waters we should have avoided. We have no defense against the evil lion who prowls about seeking whom he might devour.
We, too, get lost.
We need a shepherd. We need a shepherd to care for us and to guide us. And we have one. One who knows us by name.” From “A Gentle Thunder” by Max Lucado.
I may be 57 years old and have a bit of experience but I very much feel quite ‘sheepish’ in my attempts at life on my own.
The “Socratic Paradox,” the phrase “I know that I know nothing” applies.
How often does the Word refer to us as sheep?
How often do we prove it true?
So grateful that in my freedom and independence, I have the freedom to be in dependence on Him.
