Following the Good Shepherd

     Nothing like a boy and his dog... and his book.  Now mind you, much weeping and gnashing of teeth went into the boy picking up this book.  There is a mama behind the camera who practically had to threaten with "no golf for a week" (or something equally shocking and horrific) before he would sit down to read.  Gee, two things I've never understood about children--why fight naps and books?  Two of the finest things the Lord ever created in this life--other than chocolate, of course--and you'd think they were being asked to get a root canal... and shots... and clean up their rooms all at the same time.
     But once my son and Moses settled down on the porch with a hefty rain pouring down, well, you can see everyone was pretty contented and peaceful.  Nothing like hearing the peaceful sound of falling rain,  feeling the cool breeze across your face, and reading a good book--with no agenda, no meetings, no to-do lists clogging up your mind.
     Have I said I love the mountains?!  Gracious, what a joy to get away and slow down and just feel God's peaceful, powerful presence up here amidst all His creation.  I know we can, and should, be able to experience this anywhere, but there truly is just something about pulling away from the rush, slowing down, and spending time just seeing, listening, reading, and rejoicing.
     I've just reread the familiar (and, in my case, too familiar) words of Psalm 23.  Jesus is our Good Shepherd--yeah, yeah, you might say.  But have you really thought about what that means?  That He is our Good Shepherd?  Well, Psalm 23 reminds us of just a few of the remarkable benefits of being one of His sheep.  I guess the words of Psalm 23 particularly resonated with me since these past few days in the mountains have been His gift--and His reminder--of all that He has for each of us when we follow our Good Shepherd.
     I encourage all of us to reread these oft quoted words in Psalm 23 and put our name in it in each of it's verses.   He promises that if He is your Good Shepherd, you "shall not want." (v.1)  How often we think we need more, deserve more, crave more--and it's a sure path to misery, envy, frustration, and discouragement.  Seek Him, savor Him, and He promises we will not "want."
     But here's one I love: "He makes me lie down in green pastures." (v.2)  "Makes me?"  You'd think it wouldn't be so tough and unpleasant to lie down in a green pasture--especially if you are a sheep seeking nothing better than a nice green pasture in which to eat all day long and rest and relax (sounds pretty terrific to me--especially the eating part).  But sometimes He has to make His frantic, frazzled sheep slow down and lie down in His place of beauty and rejuvenation.  Thank You, Jesus, for making us do what we need so desperately but seem to avoid to our great detriment.  How often we miss His choicest blessings and pleasures, because we think we have a better plan--usually involving stress and striving and self-effort.  Sigh.
     "He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul."  Just contemplate that for a moment or two.  First of all, He leads us.  We aren't in this on our own, praise God.  He leads, we follow.  O how I need the daily reminder that HE LEADS, and my job is simply to follow!  Stop running ahead; stop looking back; stop looking all around at whatever everyone else is doing and where they are going.  Jesus is leading--I just need to follow Him... because wherever He is going, well, that's the place of blessing and security and adventure.
     But secondly, He leads me beside "still waters" and "restores my soul."  Anybody around here need a little restoring?  A little rejuvenation of resting beside beautiful, peaceful waters?  Still waters provide the sheep with water and with no danger of getting swept away by a fast running current.  Who doesn't need that?  Filled with the Living Water that brings us all that we need, all that we crave in our restless hearts and all the while meeting our needs, providing eternal security and peace.  Sign me up, Lord!
     And "He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." (v.3)  Again, He leads, we follow... and when we follow Him, we can know know know that it will be in paths of righteousness and not paths of wickedness or deception or despair or evil.  Why would we not want to follow Him into green pastures, still waters, paths of righteousness and abundant life?  Do we seriously believe we have a better plan, a better path?
     That's just the first 3 verses of Psalm 3, but the Good Shepherd blesses us in so many infinite ways, we can spend our lives exploring this life with Him leading the way, and we'll never come to the end of His goodness and grace and glory and greatness.  So today, slow down.  Pause to pick up a book, pat your dog, and savor the joy of following the Good Shepherd.  Let Him lead you beside some still waters and restore your soul.  If He's leading, you're good to go wherever He's headed!  Help us Lord to follow.  To our Good Shepherd be all the glory.