When sheep are huddled together, it shows their design kicking in. In a fierce storm, they will stand so tightly together it helps them to stay warm enough. When dogs come raiding that flock, they also try to huddle tightly together. I know as an earthly shepherd, when all the sheep heads are raised, staring out in the same direction away from me, that I need to take action. At other times, it is a false alarm.

Any sheep who is always alone, not really paying attention, and doing their own thing also alarms me. Something has gone wrong with them. It might be illness or greed. It can still be a healthy sheep, but I pay attention long enough to see if it is okay.

What is really interesting to me is when I hear students or friends share their stories. I can perceive where they feel really alone, and carry feelings of abandonment. I do relate to that. God has been directing me to pull closer into a group. For that to happen I work to rebuke lies, such as I’m not interesting enough or they don’t care enough.

I really pay attention to those who lost family members. It’s a place where the Holy Spirit steps in, and I’m privileged to pray that they sense this in increasing amounts. In short, God encourages me to be there, supporting them in the storm and afterward.

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Seeing sheep in pain galvanizes me to take action.  Thing is the sheep are very hard to catch.  They don’t know that I can give them pain killers, or an ointment that speeds their healing.  This month many lambs had bacteria invading the soles of their feet. Two weeks ago, I exhausted myself corralling lambs to spray bacteria inhibiting liquid onto their feet.  This treatment needs to be repeated for the bad cases or I turn to a stronger and more invasive method.

Why did Jesus wash feet?”  He declared to Peter “You shall have no part of me unless I wash your feet.” Peter instantly responded “wash all of me.” Jesus sees you like I as a shepherd see my sheep.  He is not ignoring the pain.  Jesus said to his disciples “…and you are clean though not all of you.” 

Shame, sin, wounds, the dirt of the world is on us.  We who are washed by faith still need Jesus’ touch to be fully clean like He did for his disciples in the upper room.  The Shepherd doesn’t wait for us to realize it, he is always wanting to minister.  Is he allowed to do it?

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When is enough enough? My effort can feed new spiritual growth, but lacks power to cleanse wrong choices.  It is possible to pray, read life-giving books, hear sermons, watch YouTube content, gather with believers, and all types of spiritual effort and miss the point. Am I there and satisfied with my effort to be WITH Him, no, but when I see God’s zeal toward me, I’m changed.  He never quits on me.  My feelings or thoughts don’t make him leave.  Do my choices limit His active, unfailing love towards me? His passion means He’s active and guiding me always.

So the annoying “fly” buzzes and says, “hey are you walking with God this very moment,”  or “this morning,” or “did you do this important thing to be in a better relationship with God?” The reality remains that even if weakness in spiritual discipline rears its head, He never quits on me. Jesus is the perfect substitute, not me. I am weak, He is strong. His strength means there is no condemnation when He lives within.

Strength is from facing weakness and yet remembering that Jesus perfection lives within. It’s still not license to do whatever, or believe whatever is convenient.  The following example is from my sheep, and they don’t naturally stay inside safe boundaries.

I experience my Lord more each time I feed, protect, medicate, and discipline my sheep.  I know how they might die physically by going outside boundaries of the fence into the path of a car, or get tangled in that same fence and strangle. They don’t know this. I’m angry when they think they can poke their head through the boundary because I’ve witnessed sheep with the netting twisted around on their neck so tight they choked to death.  I pay money for better electric fences and more powerful shocks so this doesn’t happen.  But baby lambs are still testing that boundary and some ignore the electric jolt.  I don’t give up, I’ll fix the broken fences, check the power, and I’d even yell at them, but once they find one weak spot in the fence, they keep trying.

Becoming more in tune with Holy Spirit means everything to our Father. This love response isn’t a level in a game to improve ourselves, it signals we hear and receive what Jesus declared to us. 

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