The Good Shepherd Exemplo

I grew up in the country parts of Kentucky with my mother and siblings. Crops literally surrounded us. Tobacco fields and corn fields covered the entire city. We weren’t rich, but we had a pretty decent backyard. My mother had the idea of ordering a lighthouse with a swing set and putting it in the backyard. I would be out there for hours climbing to the top just to look out over the sea of cornstalks that went on for what seemed like miles.

Recently, some of those memories have resurfaced, but this time, it was as if I was reliving them and seeing myself from a different set of eyes—almost as if I was seeing it all from the Father’s view and vantage point. To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that He’s been tracing my steps and that I have been in His presence ever since my childhood.

Let’s look at Matthew 18:2-4. In the text, Jesus explains to his disciples that children are “…the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” And unless we “..become like children, we will never see the kingdom of Heaven.”

As I was reading this and reminiscing about my childhood, I found myself asking these questions: When was the last time I just played in His presence? Do I still approach The Father like a child? When did I become so grown up and independent? Maybe it was when my parents divorced, and I felt like I had to be “the man of the house.” Or when my mother got sick and I felt like I had to be her caretaker. It could’ve even been when I got acquainted with heartbreak as my brother passed, and I had to be strong for my family. These unfortunate circumstances taught me how to build walls and defenses and become my protector and an anchor for everyone else.

The truth is that we, as children, were never meant to protect ourselves but instead run directly to our Father and find safety. I can feel The Shepherd inviting me back to the lighthouse to rediscover my childlike wonder. Before the armor and shields, before all of life’s letdowns, just me and Him in a backyard together, and Him teaching me the difference between “Childishness” and “childlikeness.”