Hold You...

About 25 times a day my little guy comes up to me with arms up-stretched and says "Hold boo".  In his little baby language that means pick me up, I don't want to be a big boy right now.   This little guy sticks pretty close to momma.  In fact he is dependent upon me, which makes perfect sense,  I am the one who supplies all of his needs.  There is not much he can do on his own right now and he knows it.  He needs me and most of the time no one else will do.  He wants to be close to momma. 

I need to stop and consider this lesson for myself.  I am completely dependent upon God.   David said in Psalms 23 "The Lord is my Shepherd."  Jesus says "I am the good Shepherd and you are my sheep."  

Sheep are funny creatures... God's word never says anything in vain.  He calls us sheep for a reason.  Sheep are completely dependent on the Shepherd for everything.   Sheep need the Shepherd for many reasons; they can't find food or water on their own, they can't protect themselves, they can't bathe themselves,  and they have a tendency to stray.  

If God calls us sheep and himself a shepherd he is telling us something about ourselves and about Him.  We need the Shepherd. 

Psalms 23

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

God provides all I need.

He makes me lie down in green pastures: he leads me by still waters.

The Shepherd has to lead the sheep to nice, soft, green places of rest.   He also leads the sheep to the places in the stream that are shallow and slow running so the sheep don't get pulled in.  Sheep are the only animal who don't have a sense that leads them to water.  Jesus is the Living Water that satisfies our soul.

He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake.

God leads us in the right ways.  Sheep have no sense of direction.  He refreshes the sheep.  There is no animal so prone to wander away and then not able to find their way back.  It's the Shepherd who has to find the sheep and bring them back to the fold. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for YOU  are WITH ME; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

The sheep know they can trust in the Shepherd for protection no matter what they walk through because he will defend them with his rod and his staff.  He will lead the way through the valley and fend off the attacks that come against the sheep.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. 

The Sheep know that they can trust the Shepherd to feed them from His generous bounty.  They know that He provides so well that their cup will run over and they will have some to share. 

Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Instinctively, the sheep know they can trust the shepherd for everything they need and that he will provide and protect the sheep because He is GOOD and LOVING and KIND.  

The main theme of my life right now is that God wants me to recognize my dependence on Him.  I need to see that apart from Him I can do nothing.  Sometimes my life gets so hard and I run to Him and say "Hold you"...  thinking that my weakness is a problem, but I'm starting to realize that in my weakness HE is strong.  He wants me to run to him.  He wants me to take refuge in him and find all I need in Him. 

Like my lil guy needs me and I know he can't do anything without me...  God knows and that's the way he designed it.  One day that little boy will grow up and think he doesn't need momma.  He will be able to do some things on his own and he will begin to rely on Himself and become independent, but he will still get lost, he will still go astray, he will still need me...  and I will go find him.    Just like God comes to find me when I stray away 1000 times a day. 

I pray that I would begin to really understand how much my dependence is really a gift to me.   It brings me back to the ONE who supplies all I need.  My Good Shepherd.  HOLD BOO.