Parenting vs. Shepherding, neither is easy!

Taking care of someone else can be exhausting! In less than TWO months, we will have a newborn baby girl. For really the first year of her life, she will completely rely upon Becca and I for everything she needs. We will feed her, change her, give her baths, dress her (probably in a pink tutu since we have those in our house now), hold her, and provide total care for her. There is going to be times we are completely exhausted and worn out. BUT, the next morning she is going to wake up and need us again. But each day, she will also learn more and need us a little less. That is the life-changing and rewarding life of a parent.

Sometimes parenting looks like this...ZONKED OUT!

Being a shepherd wouldn't have been an easy job either! The job of the shepherd was to watch the sheep. All the time. Eat with the sheep, sleep next to the sheep, always protecting the sheep. Wherever the sheep went, the shepherd would go also.

There is a major difference however between parenting and shepherding. The ultimate goal of parenting is to show love for your child, and ultimately raise them up in a way that they can be on their own when they are older. Shepherding though is almost the opposite. The sheep aren't being taught to be independent. The sheep are instead taught to rely MORE on the shepherd. So the job of the shepherd is constant and not getting ANY easier by the day.

As a parent, I sleep in a chair- the shepherd's resting place doesn't look as comfy

So now that you can maybe relate more with the shepherds, let's check out an amazing moment in Scripture with them. The verses are from Luke 2:8-12. The verses are in bold, my comments in italics:
⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby (the shepherds LIVE in the fields. They don't have a home, their home is where the sheep are), keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.(you have to think- quiet field- quiet night- ALL of a sudden- BRIGHT LIGHT. They probably were also scared for the safety of their sheep) ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”(So THESE guys, these shepherds- get to be the FIRST people to see baby Jesus. Out of EVERYBODY!) 

These shepherds have lived a life of service and dedication to their animals. So imagine them now picking up their sheep, gathering them together, and bringing them towards the manger. I mean they aren't JUST going to leave the sheep in the field- they have to stay with them. So descending upon the newborn baby Jesus are these shepherds and this flock of sheep. 

Now continuing the Scripture from Luke 2:16-20- ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.(they HURRIED. They were so excited, they are rushing to see Jesus carrying along their sheep) ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.(think about it- shepherds with a HUGE flock of sheep, taking the time to tell others about the miracle of Jesus) ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

THESE shepherds get to start spreading the BEST news ever. The savior that had been promised LONG ago had finally arrived. They were the ones chosen to share this message. And when you think about it, how appropriate is that? These shepherds who spent their lives taking care of sheep, always protecting, always watching- were now telling everyone the ULTIMATE protector and SAVIOR had come.  

The Good Shepherd (John 10:11- this is JESUS talking- ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep) had come into the world to save all of us. AND, we are to be Jesus sheep. 

We aren't supposed to become independent of God! Our challenge is to be the sheep and learn to rely MORE on our shepherd- Jesus Christ.