At dusk, I stood on the edge of Canyon de Chelly, in Arizona, looking down at sheep grazing on the mesas far below. The Navajo sheepherder's call sounded, and the quietly grazing sheep began to move down toward their enclosures for the night. The sheep, which appeared as mere white dots in the distance, moved one by one in the direction of the fold. Each descended at his own pace, a few here and then a few there, until all the sheep reached the protected areas. This pastoral scene reminded me of the times in the Bible when God is referred to as our Shepherd and we as His sheep.
Sheep that follow their shepherd are well cared for. Likewise, we are led and nurtured as we heed and follow our Shepherd, God. In Biblical days a shepherd often kept his sheep in a common fold with other flocks. The sheep recognized their shepherd's voice, so when a shepherd would call into the common area, his own sheep would move to follow him. Even in the midst of much activity, we certainly can hear the inward voice of God, our one true Shepherd, wherever we are. As we turn to God through prayer, we can expect His guiding thoughts to lead us in a pathway that is safe and nourishing.
We are mistaken if we think of ourselves as unnoticed among a host of sheep—insignificant in the magnitude of God's universe. Our true selfhood is individually important to God. He knows our specific needs and supplies them. Our real being is indissolubly linked to God, divine Mind; we are God's reflection, His conscious spiritual idea. To the degree that we understand and demonstrate this fact, we find that the thoughts we think and the moves we make begin with God, are impelled by our omnipotent Mind, immortal Spirit. As we acknowledge the God-derived qualities that we consciously express as His image, we are individually fed and uplifted with the exact truths we need in order to understand the unreality of mortal discords and nullify them. In this way we find increasing peace and progress.
