Provision.

[rortiz]

The picture of the shepherd enjoying a moment of intimacy with his sheep, it is worth ten thousand words, but the meaning of the picture speaks volumes. The picture reminds me that my divine Shepherd, is not an aloof, cold, uninterested and detached bureaucrat, a CEO of his shepherding business. My Shepherd knows me by name, all my circumstances, and gives me His undivided attention, care, and love.

I am also reminded that I am an undershepherd, entrusted with the care, feeding, protection, and leadership of the entrusted flock. Borrowing the words from the Jordanian Bedouin, Abu-Jamal, “What really matters is that you have the heart for it . As a shepherd, I ask myself, what is priority for me? Do I have the heart for it? Are my interactions with individual members of the flock moved by sense of compassion or simply represents the discharging of my duties? I pray to be a shepherd after God’s own heart.