Whenever Simasa and I commute, we see two men. Almost everyday!
One man takes care of buffalo. He lets his buffalos graze on the open field while he sleeps. Every time we saw him, he sleeps with a water bottle as his pillow. When he is not sleeping, he just closes his eyes and lying flat on the ground.
Another man is different. He looks after his sheep and goats. He doesn’t even sit. I could see that he was standing by his sheep and goats all the time. He has a big stick in his hands and looks after them. He directs his animals to good places where there are good grass. By evening, he leads all home.
I hope both do their jobs well. They have different styles!
But when Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep” (John 10:11, GNB), I like to identify him to the style of the second person who has sheep and goats.
That reminds me that Jesus is close, not a distant God that I’ll need to shout aloud to get his attention. He is near me. All the time…