A good shepherd instills confidence in their anxious sheep by proving themselves to be a trustworthy guide. This allows the sheep to be led from behind, trusting that the good shepherd is looking out for them. However, this positioning gives the sheep more freedom to make common mistakes like: going the wrong direction, going at too fast a pace, getting lost, etc.

I’m nurturing my child, and they feel like it’s control…but it is what is best for them. My mom nurtured me, and it felt like control…but it was what was best for me. In the same way, God nurtures us, and if we are honest, it may feel a little bit controlling to change our lives to follow Him…but it is absolutely what is best for us.

Unfortunately, this problem persists today; there are people who will dress like, talk like, and even act like a Christian in public. They know how to go to church, how to say the right things, and how to leverage their religion to gain power and popularity. - This is not the way of Jesus.

Simon was overly concerned with being right, and it was this desire that distanced him from Jesus (aka God) and from this woman (aka his neighbor). This is the profound lesson and the painful evaluation for those who claim to follow Jesus: Does your desire to be right, or perceived rightness, draw you towards people or distance you from them?

Maybe you are like me: you want to see the divisiveness and volatility decrease in our country, you want to see churches grow again, and you want to see families whole again. Then it starts with me and you, to truly follow the Jesus way by putting on love and trusting that it can heal, restore, and hold everything together in time.

In the days of the early church, people were accused of being “Christian”. It was a derogatory term toward someone who was acting so lovingly that it made no logical sense. It was a term given to people who did not seek power and control, but powerlessness and humility. It was given to people who not only loved those who were easy to love, but who were different and difficult to love. It was their loving actions that made it very clear to others that they followed Christ and not their culture.