Have you ever seen this picture to the right or one similar to it? While this picture is quite serene, peaceful, and touching it is a bit of a misrepresentation. I have no problem with Jesus in this picture. He is handsome, loving, and even has that nice caring and compassionate aura about him. You see, for me the sheep in this particular picture is way to clean. Kinda like he was scrubbed by Billy Banks with oxy clean(some of you will get it). This leads me to my next point. God has a real sense of humor...no really! Think about it. In the Gospels Jesus refers to us as sheep and he is our Shepard. Which sounds sweet and nice . But...sheep are kind of , well...dumb and a little rebellious. Not to mention they are stinky and dirty. Some sheep even need to be herded rather than shepherded. Now you are getting the picture. The real picture. What I am trying to say in all of this is, in a humorous way, is that no matter how good we think we are, or how much better we think we are than others, we all need a Savior and a Shepard to help us as messy sheep, with our messy lives.
1 comment:
This is really cool. Just Sunday as we were worshipping the Shephard, I realized that I am just a mess when I compare myself to Jesus. I realized that we are all a mess...in one way oir another. Some of us just do better at hiding the mess. Then I realized that when we compare ourselves to each other we can focus on others' messes to hide or justify our own. In marriage, for example, my tendency is to compare myself to my partner. She is not the standard that I am to live toward... He is. So, I made a commitment that day to shift my focus concerning self-regulation/reflection to the Master, to Jesus, and away from other people who are doing the best they can with what they have at the moment, just like me. I am likely dirtier, smellier, and more rebellious than most, but it is not "most" who gave their life for me. When I think, "Why is being blessed when I work so much harder than he does?" I will be reminded of your message and of the One who was spotless, yet freely gave it all in to keep me from the grip of hell in eternity and from the world's selfish and competitive nature. Be blessed.
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