The Father himself has chosen to use the metaphor of shepherd to describe his heart toward his people. There is so much we can learn about what he is like by examining what God has told us in scripture about shepherds and sheep.

If I do not see myself as a sheep – if I resent or deny or redefine what it means to be part of the flock that he has purchased for the delight of his heart – I will not appreciate having a Shepherd. I may insist that I don’t want one, much less need one.

But the truth is, I would not fare well at all without a Shepherd. Not just in those times when I’m in over my head (which is most of the time), but at all times. I am nowhere close to being as self-sufficient as I’d like to believe.

And that’s not a bad thing at all, because mine is a good Shepherd.