Brokenness, and the Great Shepherd

This past week was a rather Hellish one for me, as it happens.  I work for a school district in a very low socioeconomic area.  Our kids, in general, have little parenting. They are street smart.  Most of them have seen things that I have not, ...even the little ones.  My heart breaks regularly.

Driving home on the last workday of a week that drained me of everything I had to give, I experienced what I always do, as I reach the outskirts of our small rural town,... relief...and the first wisps of peace.  And then, I saw it.  The sheep are back.

They generally reach our town sometime in Lent, guided by their shepherd on a journey that spans a great deal of this part of California.  Their farmer is paid to clear fields, but they do the clearing.  It fills their bellies, so I don't think they mind.  I am blessed by their return to our leg of their journey, each year, because I am reminded, by their presence, that Lent leads to Easter.  They herald the return of Spring ... and resurrection.

I could not see the shepherd this time, but I knew he was there.  He is always there, like his father and grandfather were before him, watching over his flock.  The shepherds come up to California, from Mexico, on work visas, for this journey. They are valuable to the farmer, because they know their job.  They know sheep; they were born into them.

I pulled over today, to the side of the road, and watched the flock, along with the shepherd.  I knew that, even though I could not see him, he was watching me. He is attentive to his charges and mindful of any dangers they might face.  They follow his direction; he keeps them safe.

As I watched, I was touched by the simplicity of their existence.  They are safe and at peace because they do what they are told.    While I appreciate the priceless gift of freedom, and the advantages of being human, with its attendant autonomy and self-determination, I acknowledge that we, too, have a Shepherd.  He has given us direction, boundaries, and guidelines in his Word...and we, if we will only follow them, can have peace and safety.

I know that some people see religious "rules" as being undesirable and restrictive.  I see them as a gift. They are not meant to limit us, they are meant to protect us and free us up to live.

I see the results of people's choices not to follow these guidelines every day, in broken homes and broken children.  I know that if we will appreciate the gift of the Word of God, and follow it, we will be blessed with true freedom.

Pax Christi, Peace of Christ,
~Michelle

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