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The Sheep, The Shepherd, and the Wolf
Posted : 21 Oct, 2009 10:58 AM
Not really sure where to put this rant, but this looks like the place...
For the majority of my life, I have come to know the icon of "the sheep" as a representation of weakness, purposeful ignorance, cowardice, etc. At this point some people may say,"but what is wrong with weakness". Or,"it's O.K. to be affraid."
First off, it's blessed be the meek, not the weak, so we should never confuse the two. Secondly, yes it is O.K. and perfectly Natural to feel afraid at one point or another in your life, regardless if you are a youth, or advanced in years. Regardless of the fact that your resolve is strengthened as you continue to place your faith in God's and God's Natural Laws.
Inevitably in life, you will encounter something that is new to you, a situation you have never encountered or experienced, and you find your self dumfounded, and feeling hopeless. Even Yeshua is said to have asked God why he had abandoned him up on the Cross. Even Yeshua faced temptation. The point is that you are to remain steadfast (Luke 9:23-25), and to do so is to seek out Truth, which requires one to cease to lie to one's self. To cease from escapism, to cease from denial, fear, anger, attachment, and self (Buddhism 101 actually). This invovles anything that can obstruct one's perception, preventing one to see The Way, The Tao, The Yellow Brick Road.
Naturally, this steady evolution, this gradual salvation that Yeshua speaks about, seems to take a little time to work itself out, it does not happen all at once, you don't say a prayer, memorize a tale, then dunk your self under some water and presume "It's all Good". Hence the relation of the story about Yeshua facing his temptations. It is describing something we all must go through. The facing of one's naked self in the mirror. The proverbial judgement throne in Heaven (Luke 17:21). Again this too is a gradual process. Some people can not handle too much honesty at once as they are prone to have a mental collapse and emotional break down. We are quite pampered now a days after all...
...well some of us. Others have the hard knox life "for real", and I'm not talking about not being able to afford that vacation next year, let alone cable, or not being able to keep up with the name brands and fashion trends.
Of course Carl Gustav Jung pointed out that a healthy man does not torture and opress people, only tortured souls do such things. In other words, it's those kids that the bullies picked on in school, that the system dumped on, that the people forgot, that become the opressor, for they are lonely, beaten, brushed, hurt, and torn up inside, and they no longer know their up from down. This my friends is the individual that society does not know how to reach out to, and is the individual who I feel, must embark upon the hardest journey towards grace for they have known of madness, and the torments of hell like no other...
...well and those at the end of the barrel of a gun, who were blown apart by land minds hidden in their rice fields, who were poisoned by lethel chemicals, and so on, in the name of progress, reason, and unity. Or was it to be a millionaire, I forget? Then again, what's money to a man who controls the money? Perhaps they just want control and influence, like a Chess board, black, and white....
And now we return from the doom, gloom, and despair of every day reality. The murky darkness which we all must traverse in one way or another in order that we may at last "be still and Know The Lord".
I wanted to go off into the so called deep end, in order to illustrate the depths of the ocean some people are treading in order to find refuge and solace in that solid foundation. As they say, life's not all black and white.
So of course I realize we get weak, we become fearful, etc., but without self pity. Pity is being ungreatful for the challnge God has put before you. If it is a challenge you put before your self out of purposeful ignorance (sin) or just plain ignorance, well then it's a challenge to learn through the correction of your wrongs. You see, there's opportunity everywhere, you don't need a marketing exec!
So anyhow, back to the sheep. The sheep as you may have noticed is no fool. Just hang around one long enough and you can see they are not all dumb, they are merely meek (not weak) because God did not provide them with natural defences against preditors such as wolves. This is part of the food chain, an element of the laws that God placed to rule over man and beast. So the Sheep, unlike man, has an excuse, he actually was created that way. :)
Thankfully for the sheep, there is the kind shepherd, who protects the sheep, and watches over them. Duruing the summer he cuts their wool and sells it in the market place, during the winter the sheep grow their wool back out and keep warm. It is a symbionic relationship, and they both prosper. Of course the Shepherd is not able to be around to keep an eye on every single sheep, all of the time, so the sheep have to be wise and watchful of the wolf. (Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.). They sheep may not be much of a fighter, but he can learn and observe the ways and habits of the wolf (know thy enemy), and therefore learn how to evade the wolf, or even work together and intimidate the wolf by numbers. Naturally, you never see sheep with blinders, they sheep are not ignorant, they know the wolf wears sheep's clothing. And as I pointed out before, the sheep are humble and content to eat in their green pastures, and content humbled by the love of their shepherd; they are not slaves at all!
So anymore in life, I don't mind thinking of my self as a sheep in God's flock. Granted I may have more in relation with the black sheep as I wanted to travel a bit on my own, and was not always content of the green pastures, nor content, or shall I say, understanding the the shepherd's love, but I feel that like Thomas, my faith is strengthened via facing, admitting, and trancending my own personal doubts and temptations. And that's the beauty of The Lord, He let's you roam freely and explore, for He knows what's best for you.
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