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I Am A... Sheep?

7/5/2025

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A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, May 11th, 2025:
Fourth Sunday of Easter


Psalm 100

R: We are his people: the sheep of his pasture.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.

R: We are his people: the sheep of his pasture.

Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 

R: We are his people: the sheep of his pasture.

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

R: We are his people: the sheep of his pasture.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

A shepherd is one of the oldest human professions; indeed, it’s the profession of the young King David, to whom many of the psalms are attributed. How interesting that David, who well knows what it means to be a shepherd, sings praise to God, and considers himself, and all of the Jews, to be the “sheep of His pasture.” It makes sense to me when I consider that it was an easily understood analogy for the Jewish people, shepherds and sheep being more commonplace at that time.

But if someone actually compared me to a sheep, I’m quite sure that to rejoice and sing glad songs of praise wouldn’t be my first move. I’ve never heard anyone rejoice at being compared to a sheep: the implication is one of being a follower, a little (or a lot) helpless, vulnerable, and not so smart. 

It requires a great deal of humility to place myself in the same category as a sheep. To admit that I need care, protection, and direction completely undermines the hard-won rights of women to independence and self-determination, does it not?   

So why, then, do I find it so comforting to think of God as my shepherd? Well, I suppose it has something to do with the fact that, in my life, I’ve gotten pretty hopelessly lost. I’ve been wounded, physically and emotionally, by those who were doing things “their way” and by my own insistence on doing things “my way.” I thought I was pretty smart and darn tough.

Interestingly, the remedy for my pain has been following Jesus—helplessly and vulnerably opening my heart to receive His care, and recognizing that my wisdom lies in His wisdom. The truth is, the more I allow God to be my Shepherd, the smarter and stronger I become. It’s all about recognizing the right person to follow—and that is not me. His Love is more steadfast than any other love, and this gladly makes me sing with joy to be a sheep of His pasture. 




Lindsay Elford

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2 Comments
Lori
7/5/2025 07:26:18 am

Ha! Linds! It’s so true—the one carrying the message affects my willingness to receive it. If the world called me a sheep, I would balk (baaaalk 😉) at the implications, but when Jesus calls me to be a sheep, it feels rightly ordered. My welfare is wholly reliant on His care.

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Lisa M
11/5/2025 07:30:02 am

I definitely think I would feel insulted if someone called me a sheep. But when I understand who my Shepherd is, it changes everything. ❤️

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