Following Love

“My people have been lost sheep;

their shepherds have led them astray.

-Jeremiah 50:6

Have you ever felt led astray? In our scripture passage this week, God’s people listened to the voices of false prophets. They wanted to hear an easy message that told them that everything would be all right. They wanted to hear that they could blame their mistakes on someone else. They didn’t want to see the victims of their own injustices, and they didn’t want to hear about their responsibility to make things better…

This text was written over 2,500 years ago, but it is still one of our most relevant passages. Today, we live in a different context, but there are still a lot of similarities. Humans have always wanted to pin their mistakes on someone else. Like Adam and Eve, we want to hide from our own sin, but God is still calling to us:

God’s people will ask the way to home

and turn their faces toward it.

-Jeremiah 50:5

Are you listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd? The shepherd who is calling to us to learn from our mistakes. Jesus came to tell us that there is always a new path, but we have to face our own sins with vulnerability first.

This past week I spent a lot of time working from home with a three-year-old boy. Our daycare had to shut down for a while to stop the spread of Covid. This has sent me right back to life in quarantine and a lot of frustrating situations. I am getting pretty anxious to get back to normal. However, it has also led to a lot of one on one time with my three-year-old. It is hard to get a lot of work done when he is around, but he is certainly cherishing every moment. He is also really tuned into the things that matter. He knows exactly where I am putting my attention and love. He will catch me immediately if I grab my phone or try to tune him out to do something “important.” 

There are so many distractions in this world that try to keep us from the love that is right in front of us. These distractions, or false idols, try to lead us astray from Love. They say they can give us happiness or joy sooner and better than anything else. However, the scriptures tell us that the greatest gift is love. God is with us. Let us take the time to follow the Good Shepherd and find God’s Love in our own lives.

Blessings,

-Brian