Good morning. “Because it is there.” That is the age-old reason given for why people climb mountains. Personally, I think that is nonsense. No one goes to the work, the expense, endures the hardships and the dangers involved in climbing a mountain simply because it is there. They do so to feel they have accomplished something. They do so to prove something, primarily to themselves. They do so because conquering such an obstacle gives them hope when faced with virtually every other kind of obstacle that life may throw at them. At least, that would be my opinion.
The same couldn’t be said of shepherds. Every year, at the beginning of the appropriate season, the shepherds who live in mountainous country begin to climb the mountains. They don’t do so for a thrill or for the satisfaction of conquering a difficult challenge. They do so because they know that the sheep in their care will be better fed when the fresh green meadows higher in the mountains become filled with tender young shoots of grass.
But the shepherd accomplishes nothing by climbing the mountain alone. He needs to lead his sheep up the steep paths, higher and higher even though the terrain becomes increasingly difficult. The sheep endure the climb because they trust the shepherd. They have come to understand that the shepherd has their best interest at heart, so they follow him or her up the side of the mountain.
But not without complaint.
Sheep don’t care for hard work any more than most people do. Sheep aren’t motivated by the thoughts of the green grass that is waiting for them, because they aren’t capable of such thoughts. They simply plod along, do their best, and follow their shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:15 shares these words from God our shepherd: “I Myself will feed My flock and I Myself will lead them to a place of rest,” says the Lord Jehovah.
Does it ever feel as though God has asked you to climb a mountain? Does it seem as though the path ahead is rocky, steep, and difficult?
Please remember that you are one of His sheep. You are under the care of the Good Shepherd, and if He wants you to join Him on a path that seems steep it is because He knows that what you need is worth the journey.
We don’t always need all the answers, but we do always need to trust the Shepherd.
Vern