04/13/2026
Something to think about. Sometimes taking a step back and thinking twice about scripture lends to spiritual growth. 🙏 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KHzFx9ref/?mibextid=wwXIfr
There is something about Psalm 23 that sounds really sweet and peaceful until you actually stop and think about what is being said. “The Lord is my shepherd.” Awe, comforting. Gentle. Very “laying in green grass with a soft breeze and absolutely zero responsibilities.” And then you remember what sheep are like and suddenly it hits a little different. Because that verse is not God saying, “You are strong and independent and thriving.” That is God looking at humanity as a whole, watching us for approximately two minutes, and going, “Yeah...you’re gonna need supervision.”
And I wish I could argue with that. I really do. I would love to stand here and say, “Actually, I am very capable, I make wise decisions, I do not, in fact, require constant guidance.” But then I remember the number of times I have confidently walked myself into situations that made absolutely no sense, emotionally, spiritually, or practically, and then stood there wondering how I got there like I was not the one who opened that gate and marched right through it. Sheep behavior. Fully committed. No hesitation.
Because sheep are not out here making five year plans and weighing pros and cons. Sheep are out here forgetting where the food is while actively standing in it. Sheep are following each other into bad decisions like it is a group project and nobody wants to be the one to speak up. Sheep get stuck in places they absolutely did not need to be in, panic about it, and then require someone else to come get them out of the exact mess they created. And God said, “Yes. That is the analogy I am going with.” Not horses. Not eagles. Sheep.
And the longer I live, the more I realize how accurate that is, because it is not just about bad decisions, it is about blind spots. It is about the things I cannot see coming. It is about the moments where I think I know what is best, what looks good, what feels right, and I am completely missing the bigger picture. Sheep do not understand predators. Sheep do not understand terrain. Sheep do not understand why the shepherd is saying, “Not that way.” They just know they want to go that way anyway. And if left to themselves, they will. Repeatedly. Enthusiastically.
Which is why that verse is not insulting, it is actually mercy. Because “The Lord is my shepherd” means I am not left to figure it out alone. It means there is Someone who sees the whole field when I can barely see five feet in front of me. Someone who knows where the safe path is, where the water is, where the danger is, and who is willing to step in, redirect, block, and sometimes flat out drag me away from the very thing I was convinced I needed.
And let’s be honest, sometimes that is the part we do not like. We like the green pastures. We like the still waters. We are less thrilled about the part where the shepherd uses a staff to say, “No. Absolutely not. You are not going there.” But if I am actually the sheep in this situation, and not the shepherd no matter how much I occasionally try to promote myself, then that correction is not control, it is protection.
Because left to myself, I do not gradually drift into better and better decisions. Left to myself, I wander. I overthink. I chase things that look good in the moment and ignore what is actually good long term. I try to fix things that are not mine to fix and stress over things that were never mine to carry. I hit the emotional equivalent of a fence, back up, and instead of going around it, I try the exact same approach again like maybe this time it will work. Peak sheep.
So yeah. The Lord is my shepherd.
Which means I am not the one in charge, and honestly that is probably for the best.
Because if the past has proven anything, it is that I am fully capable of wandering myself straight into a mess and then acting surprised about it.
And maybe the real peace in that verse is not that life is always calm and easy, but that I was never expected to navigate it alone.
I just have to stay close to the One who already knows exactly where He is going.
