Our Good Shepherd and Perfect Lamb

Photo taken from the terrace of Mont Saint Michel's abbey in Normandy, France

Yesterday I was reading a book (I Believe in Love: A personal retreat based on the teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux), and I was struck by the familiar image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The author wrote, “…Jesus [is] picking you up again, becoming for you so many times the Good Shepherd, running after His little lamb, carrying it back in His arms…” And it was just the image I needed: the one who comes after me and brings me back to Him. No matter what I do or where I go, He is there.

In the Bible we hear a lot about sheep. Those cute but mindless animals, who are always wandering.

Isaiah 53: 6 | “We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way…”

Luke 15: 4 – 7 | “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the dessert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy… I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents…”

We hear Jesus tell us that there is joy when the one person repents. We are who He wants! Jesus pursues us Himself, through the Word, through others, and through situations and circumstances – through every good thing, and all through the Holy Spirit.

What has always struck me about this passage is that the shepherd – Jesus – sets out for the one lost sheep – me. He knows me, He loves me, and He comes to find me and bring me back to Him. I am worth that much to Him.

Jesus comes for us; we are worth that much to Him.

St. Augustine wrote, “…God would never have done such great things for us if the life of the soul perished with the death of the body” (Confessions of St. Augustine).  St. Augustine’s reflection has helped me in moments of doubt or curiosity when I think about life, death, and heaven or what if there is just nothingness. But, I believe in God, and I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. What St. Augustine says rings true to me: Jesus would not have died on the cross – the most painful, humiliating, and lonely death – if our souls did not live forever. He wants each of us to be in heaven with Him. My soul is worth that much to Him.

Jesus dies for us; our souls are worth that much to Him.

He loves us! 

He lived a life of love in communion with the Father, and then He offered Himself up for us out of obedience to the Father. He did what we cannot do because of our sin, and by His perfect obedience He reversed the sin of Adam. Jesus died on the cross so He could defeat sin and death, and by His Resurrection He obtains life for us all.

Jesus loves you. Ask Him to help you, and He will. He will pick you up, carry you in His arms, and rejoice over you. He wants to show you every good thing He has for you. He wants you to be who He made you to be, so you can be free.

In a Funk, but it's OK

Well, I have been in a funk for the past few weeks. I feel out of touch with myself and disconnected from God, and it’s a hard place to be.

I feel like I’m just doing the things I usually do without as much passion and purpose, though I’m still trying to reach out to others and do what is right. I feel like I don’t know if I’m choosing God’s will in the decisions I’m making. I’m not listening to God. I’m not making time for Him or being mindful of His ways. I’m just moving along, saying hi to Him or offering quick prayers, but not listening to Him or feeling Him moving in me. I feel like I am making myself too busy, and I don’t want to be busy anymore, but that I can’t stop moving because of my commitments, and each individual commitment isn’t the strain, it’s all of them together. I need a break. I need to have wide open time for myself. And if I got time, I’d have to use it to just be with God and to do prayerful, quiet things. But I have projects, ideas, and responsibilities running through my brain with no time to make them happen so they begin to overwhelm me. Disconnected and stretched thin. Yeah, I’m in a funk.

I need to reconnect to myself and my relationship with God. So, how do I do this? And yep, that’s pretty much where I am right now.

No answers.

You know why? I’m not listening. I’m not even making an effort to pray about it. I guess I’m just waiting until I feel more inspired. Well, guess what – the Holy Spirit inspires and I haven’t been inviting Him in. 

Also, I feel like since I’ve been making my own decisions even though I’m unsure of God’s will, it’s harder to go to God and to ask Him what is right. Like, am I afraid of the answer? Am I afraid of changes I would have to make?

God is there; He always is. He loves; He always does. He is merciful, kind, and generous. I need to ask Him to give me the grace to listen and to come into my heart and transform me to His will.

I need a conversion. Every day, as a Christian, I am called to convert and give my life to Christ and to follow in His ways.

So right now I am saying, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” And “Come, Lord Jesus”. And telling myself over and over that God loves me, and thanking Him for His many blessings. 

And you know what, while funks are hard because being disconnected is a struggle, funks can have value. Our life, our journey with God, has ups and downs and twists and turns. Growth can happen in funks. So I am present in my funk… and ok with being here so long as I don’t keep myself here out of laziness, busy-ness, or any other self-made reason. God is with me, and He will lift me up, in time. As the quotation of my grandma’s old Sacred Heart picture reads, “Don’t be discouraged.” God is there. He is always there.