Vessel

Ugh, it‘s so easy for me to hyper-focus on what is right in front of me. Whenever I get tunnel vision, I end up missing what‘s really important, often hurting others in the process. It‘s times like this when I remember a verse where Jesus compares himself to a shepherd and a door. He said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” But what does this mean? Why does he bring up sheep and pastures? Well, at the time Jesus spoke these words, shepherding was a common occupation. The shepherd would build a makeshift pen for the sheep with a single door, then lay across the opening to protect the sheep from wolves and bears. So when Jesus compares himself to a good shepherd and to a door, he's saying two things. One, as the door, he saves and brings true freedom of life, allowing the sheep to go in and out of the door when it‘s good for them to graze. Two, as the good shepherd, he lovingly protects the sheep from harm‘s way, which sometimes means setting up boundaries. So what do I learn from all of this? I get a picture of what it‘s like to trust Jesus, because I‘m the sheep in this analogy. Trusting Jesus is frustrating sometimes, and it often comes with limitations. But if I do trust who he is, he will eventually lead me to a way that is better and more life-giving. So how about you? Are you ready to trust Jesus and let him lead you to a truly abundant life?