PrincipledMom™

The Lord is my Shepherd...He makes me...He leads me...He guides me... (Ps. 23)

A shepherd is always on call. Day or night, he must be prepared to lead his sheep to food and water or away from danger. Sheep are not good at finding their own sustenance and must be led. I cannot leave my children to fend for themselves. God gave them to me and I am responsible for them. I need His guidance to in turn guide them. I must keep my spirit sensitive to God so that I can lead them as I should.

For a sheep to follow, he must be sure it's the right voice. He must trust the shepherd by what he hears. As long as I get my direction from the Lord, I can rest assured that my guidance comes from Him. Also I must train them to hear God's voice for themselves. The home is the ideal place to learn to hear God's voice. It is (or should be) a safe training ground where children can pray, hear God's voice and test it with God's Word to see if it really is the Lord. What a privilege to guide my children as they hear from God for themselves!

Sheep must also trust that the shepherd knows what is best. They believe that he has their best interest at heart and that he would never lead them "astray." I must check my attitudes, my habits and ny behaviour. Are they misbehaving, or are they simply imitating me, being led astray by my poor example? My children have to trust that I am always concerned with their well-being. It is my job to make sure they are protected from all that is evil and exposed to all that is godly.

Sometimes guiding the sheep means correcting. Some sheep don't want to stay in their fence. They want to wander into pasture they see on the other side. They must be corrected with a gentle but firm voice and sometimes moved to prevent them from hurting themselves. How often do we see our children longing for the pasture on the other side, even if their pasture is better? We must lovingly correct and steer them back to what is best for them.

As a mother shepherdess, I am always on the lookout for the very best pasture. There they can eat to their fill and rest contented that I won't let anything happen to them. 

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