“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only take care of themselves! Should not the shepherds take care of their flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool, and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them. For this is what Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.
Ezekiel 34:2-6, 11
The Lord sure tried to voice what shepherding entailed and the shepherds were hearing none of it. They seemed oblivious to the fact that shepherding meant nurturing of the flock. At no time did nurture or protection seem to resonate with them. Our Lord modeled the appropriate action.
Parenting also requires responsibility in nurturing our children to be happy, healthy, wise independent adults. It’s one of the most important and most demandingly difficult jobs one will ever undertake. In my life experience as a teacher, in a highly divorced rated school, I was approached to become a Foster Parent. I knew the children I would be caring for were older and were tossed into one foster home after another. I requested my home be their last until they met their Forever Families. Happily, it was granted. This was no snap decision on my part. I put them in my school where I could oversee them. I was in it for the long term…whatever it required. I needed to patiently work with them and model love trust and responsibility back into their lives. They all tested me fiercely! Are you sending me back now? “No! That wouldn’t be a good thing for you. You know what bad feels like, in this home we will be experiencing what good feels like”.
They all adjusted to our family life well. They earned the privilege to choose activities of their choice. On Scout's day: my dad drove down weekly to be with the kids. When he wasn’t helping them with projects, he was there to cheer them on in a grandpa-like way. Dad loved coming down and never missed the opportunity and to the kids the feeling was mutual. Dad was shepherding them in fabulous, healthy family-type ways, and with the youth group, and sports, chores, and family trips, they pretty much knew the ways of a happy home. I was thrilled that they could recognize a good home environment now. It would enable them to transition to their “Forever Homes” easier.
After 11 years my oldest children, then teenagers, were also adopted into their own forever families. So parenting and shepherding are parallel. They could be great companions. Yes raising children is “Not” easy, but it does have its rewards. Oh, and making it easier, is the realization by working on this devotional, I found out that “Ezekiel means God’s Strength. No coincidence!
