Self-Shepherding (Part 2)

Continued from Self-Shepherding.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned- every one- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Jesus] the inquity of us all." -Isaiah 53:6

I once shepherd an one digit flock with my older brother in Big Island. We were 9 and 11 years old, holding a pointed 7-foot stick, who lived in the farm among the donkey, cows, chickens, and sheep for only six months. We were free to wander around and pick some nuts, avocado, blackberries, and some other fruits from the trees. Our mother, who grew up in farm, volunteered to skin the sheep that were shot for the dinner. So we watered the bleeding areas as we watched her skinning the sheep that was hooked up. An unforgettable experience!

That sheep should have been us, but Jesus Christ took the inquity of us all upon himself. He died for us so that we may have Christ in us that shall never sleep. To have Christ in us is to be the Anointed. Naturally we all shall experience the storms in our lives, but with Christ those storms will cease. It's just like how Jesus Christ went through the storm asleep on the boat. Jesus was sleeping, but Christ was aware of the situation. Thus, Jesus Christ woke up calmly and commanded the storm to cease.

Will Christ in me wake me up during the storm?

I certainly had several sleepless nights that had changed my life direction. I would toss and turn with a heaviness. I didn't understand yet I knew before waking that I was in the invisible storm. I just knew that I had to get up and do a prayerwalk around the house or grab some clothes and go out. I didn't know why I had to take a prayerwalk, but Christ in me knew. I often found the answer I was looking for through the prayerful night, which had ceased the invisible storm before I went back to sleep.

It doesn't end here. Those nights often led to those daytime decisions. Jesus continued his ministry. I immediately followed through my decisions. Like those sheep, we have gotten lost. But with Christ, we self-shepherd ourselves back to the flock.