Years ago, I visited Ireland and toured the beautiful countryside on horseback. Our group of four equestrians rode about 15 miles per day and spent the night at different farmhouses along the way.  One evening we decided to venture into town and eat at a local pub.  It was a small town and the rest of the clients were clearly locals who all knew each other.  A couple of them asked what brought us to their town and we began a conversation.  They told us we hadn’t experienced Ireland until we played a game of darts and drank some local beer so we did.

As we talked with this small group of locals, it soon became apparent they were sheepherders.  They told stories about their day and I learned that sheep required a lot of care and attention.  We heard numerous stories of sheep getting themselves into dire predicaments- caught in a ditch, caught in a fence, getting lost, sheep “cast,” (which means stuck on their backs) etc.  

As I listened to their stories, I thought about the Bible verses with sheep and Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and I began to understand it in a new light.  We are like sheep in that we cannot navigate life on our own.  We need the help and guidance of our Good Shepherd.  When we follow the Good Shepherd we find that He leads us to abundant life.

Read John 10, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Posted by our friend Annie in April of 2016