Jesus' sheep

John 10: 27 - 30

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me

To be a 'sheep' of Jesus our Shepherd, to be known by him and to follow him.......that truly struck me today as I meditated on this passage. First of all, given the many responsibilities that I shoulder due to multiple roles, it is very comforting to image myself as a 'sheep'. We often think of sheep as dumb animals, and so they are. But it is still comforting for me because it lifts the burden off my responsibilities. Being the type of person I am, there is a tendency to get overburdened with my many roles. As a 'sheep' I can rest assured that my Shepherd is the one in charge and will bring me to places where I am fed, my thirst quenched....and as the psalmist declared, 'where my soul is restored'.

Another comforting thought is that I am known by my Shepherd. This idea may seem fearful to some, for fear of being shamefully 'exposed', but basking in the love of our Shepherd, we trust that he knows us well in order to bring us back to his side when we stray. It is good to be known and accounted for, to belong to our Shepherd.

These two comforting thoughts come with a 'responsibility'. I guess this is always so in our lives - with privilege comes responsibility. As a 'sheep' I am truly dependent on my Shepherd. I need to listen carefully to his voice.....and I need to follow him as he leads me through terrain that is rough; places where dangers lurk, where a slip may mean a broken limb. As I reflected earlier this week, there are many voices around us. Which one is the voice of our Shepherd? Which one of the many alluring paths do we follow? As 'sheep', called and dearly loved by our Shepherd, we listen and follow. Unlike the flock of sheep who usually have no problem recognizing their shepherd's voice, it may take us a lifetime to grow accustomed to Jesus' voice, and to follow his guiding hand.