A Starchild Epiphany

Straying From the Flock

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

My heart has been filled with worry and sorrow lately. Too many people I know are hurting or lost. I have been trying to make sense of this. Why, in an age of so many safety measures and things to make us feel good, are we so unhappy? Then Psalm 23 came to mind. I wonder, myself included, how many of us have strayed from our shepherd?

If we are the Lord's gentle sheep, would we not feel anxiety the further we were from our flock? And what do we do to ease this anxiety. We might fill our lives with material goods, alcohol, food, television shows, video games, movies, etc...The list is endless. The further we stray away from God's natural order and his protection the more our society is filled with endless distractions.

We never learned from that original fall. We give up the garden for lives lived in pursuit of the latest gadgets and the newest earthly pleasures. I wonder if there will ever be enough iPhone versions that satiate us, or trilogies made into movies, or reinventions of beer that will fill us up. When will we again crave knowledge and an evolution of the spirit instead of the ephemeral.

In Psalm 23 we are the Lord's sheep. In my agnostic days, I used to take offense at that notion. Now I see it as a revered status. What are sheep used for? They were used extensively in biblical times for a variety of reasons. They fed and clothed entire nations. They were a significant factor in why the human race survived. What the Lord is saying is that, as Christians, we are to be treated with great respect because we are to be the ones to feed the nations the Word. 

Much like a shepherd takes care of his flock, the Lord wants to take care of us.  He wants us to feel our best so that we can continue to be a source of spiritual nourishment to those that are hurting.  That is what Psalm 23 tells me.  And as much as we think we know everything and that we are living in modern times, we do not know what snares may lie around the corner for us.  We are much more innocent than we could ever even imagine.  We may have taken a bite out of that apple but only God truly knows what is in the hearts of man and what evil they are capable of.

In my own journey, I hope to be a source of encouragement to others and a source of light in dark times.  I believe I am the cusp of my own evolution of spirit.  People will always hurt and feel lost at times but the flock is there.  And our shepherd is always waiting for us with open arms.