What you need to know about the Good Shepherd

You should know that I’m a bit of a mess.

I’m wife to Ryan, mom of two, and a writer + speaker. I love podcasts, books, and sprinkles on just about everything. I’m a try-hard girl who values efficiency, productivity, and performance. I struggle with perfectionism and ascribing my value to how much I achieve. The list could go on and on…

But there’s one more thing you should know about me, something that pains me to admit:

I’m a sheep.

I know that I’m a sheep because David, a shepherd himself, wrote that the Lord is our shepherd. (Psalm 23:1). For a free printable of Psalm 23:1, go here!

So if God is our Shepherd, we are His sheep.

Over and over, the Bible calls us sheep while I prefer to be the shepherd.

I like being in control, making decisions my way, and taking charge. When it comes to God, I am always the sheep and He’s always the Shepherd. Never the other way around.

What does it mean for God to be our Good Shepherd?

Our Good Shepherd gives us rest.

He makes us lie down so we can rest. From what do we need to rest?

We are exhausted trying to fulfill our unreasonable expectations, from doing all the things because of our overdeveloped sense of responsibility, and from our desire to do more and try harder. If the pace of our life does not allow for rest, we aren’t being led by our Shepherd who loves us so.

Our Good Shepherd is the one with the light yoke. He takes our exhaustion and replaces it with ease. He knows that when we lean on ourselves, we bear too much weight. He wants us to lean on Him, the Rock, because the Rock can bear the weight of all we are.