Jehovah-raah: The Lord My Shepherd
- Series: Names of God
- by: Rebekah Crosby 05/12/08
"So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals." Ezekiel 34:5
Stinging Caterpillars & Stupidity
I have lived in New Orleans off and on for 12 years. I will never get used to the stinging caterpillars that seemingly rain from the sky. I have been stung four times. My husband has now put me on house-arrest when I am at home...I am no longer allowed outside. I have this amazing knack to find them...regardless of where they are hiding.
The first encounter was when I was returning the garbage can next to the house. It was hidden in the grass and leapt on top of my bare foot (yes, caterpillars leap). The second sneaky thing was on the front door in the open hole where our handle will eventually go. The third was on the back patio. I was innocently moving my ficus tree so that it could catch some rain water and stepped square on top of it. The last, most recent tragedy was when I was pulling weeds with my mom. This was the most comical as I was stressing to her the importance of being cautious of the underhanded caterpillars that hide. After repeating this precaution, my hand landed on something that immediately made my entire hand catch fire. I was lucky that my mom was here for this one because this was by far the worst, and I got all the needed attention and concern (moms are great nurses - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOMS!). It did not alleviate the pain, but my mind was much calmer knowing that she was there armed with vinegar and baking soda. I whimpered through the entire visit with my parents and succeeded in getting loads of sympathy. I'm afraid my hand will never again be the same. In fact, as I type it is throbbing. I may have to call in sick tomorrow (just kidding, Dr. Lemke).
After the second sting, I was ready to throw-down with every caterpillar I found. Our sidewalks are splattered with the proof of this battle. If I find one, I must say that I get excited about the prospect of taking another bit of misery out of this world by smashing it mercilessly. This war did not keep me from having two more encounters with the enemy, however. I love the Lord and his creation. I am in awe of it daily, but I am baffled by the creation of this evil, hairy monstrosity.
Despite all the many stings and swollen parts, the Lord teaches me. It took four stings for me to finally get that I may need to wear shoes when I go outside. It took four separate occasions of jumping around in pain and licking my wounds for me to tread lightly through the grass. This last one was probably one of the most precious lessons of the four...you may be warning others of danger while you yourself are running towards it.
The Lord does not call Himself our Shepherd because it makes Him feel important. He does not extend a hand to us because He needs attention. He does not need us to do any favors for Him by accepting His guidance. His ego does not need to be stroked. He is our Shepherd because He loves us. He is doing US a favor by guiding us. We desperately need His guidance. He knows that if we go our own way, we will walk straight into the lion's den. He knows that we will jump joyfully over a cliff, happily into a bed of needles, excitedly onto a stinging caterpillar. We are stupid.
You may have multiple degrees to assure yourself that this fact is not true. Some may quiver in your presence because you are important & knowledgeable and have an imposing title in front of your name. You may walk into a room and have all eyes fall on you and people chomping at the bit to be recognized because of your impressiveness. You may have fooled them, but you have not fooled your maker.
One of my favorite quotes is by Madeleine L'Engle. She says in An Acceptable Time, "Truth is eternal, knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them."
Yet this is exactly what we have done. We spend our lives in an attempt to look better, feel better, to have one up on others. We hope that we would succeed so remarkably that we would demand attention....all in an effort to disguise our stupidity with intelligence. We have placed our attentions and energies into something that continually changes as cultures change and "evolve." We have confused our own intelligence with the eternal truth of the Father.
This man-made creation of significance does not remove the fact that we are foolish lambs in desperate need of our Shepherd's guidance. It does not nullify the truth that we are scattered and vulnerable to the enemy when we are without a Shepherd. Whether we admit it or not, He created us with a need for Himself. He created us to be SOLELY and HEAVILY reliant upon His instruction. If we do not fill this need with God, we are not smart. We have simply increased the likelihood of being devoured...and amplified our stupidity.
My prayer for you (and for myself, I don't think I could handle another sting) this week is that we would have the wisdom to see our own stupidity. My hope is that we would look above for the guidance we need below that will steer us clear of any stinging, unsightly creatures...and wear protection when we venture outside.
Jehovah-raah, forgive us for attempting to succeed without you. Forgive us for wrapping our importance up on ourselves, for relying on our own intelligence to get by. I pray that You would change our hearts and make them solely dependent upon You. Guide and direct our paths in Your mercy, and give us the wisdom and desire to follow You alone.