“A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.” Dream beyond all your wildest imaginations! What if you could accomplish the most incredible memory of anyone’s lifetime and actually have the Lord Jesus Christ walk with you for the entire day? Amazing, no? What would he have for breakfast? We’ve heard that he favors grilled fish. What if He came with you to the nursing home, the hospital, or a clinic? They would be empty! Now, what if came with you to all the situations and places that bring out the most fear and anger in your life? With every positive and credible amount of information that we have, we can easily surmise that Jesus has no fear! None whatsoever. He also possesses complete self-mastery and never surrenders his peace or power to anyone. He has seen many a wolf coming and never backed down, especially for all of us, the ones He has loved with an everlasting love.
“The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” Instead of running toward self-pity, victimhood, and self-righteousness, we are passionately invited to follow Jesus right into our very hearts and soul! Life is filled with obstacles and burdens, and yes, even with those who seem to make it their life’s mission to increase these pains in our lives, but the best news today is that Jesus sees the wolf coming and stands right by us all the time. There is true freedom in Christ – no need for excuses, just plain, divine, everlasting love that has set us free.
“Like crying wolf, if you keep looking for sympathy as a justification for your actions, you will someday be left standing alone when you really need help.” Criss Jami