"I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me." These words from Jesus offer profound comfort in a world where we often feel unseen and unknown. What would change in your life if you truly believed you were fully known and completely loved by God?
Our spiritual journeys are often hindered not by what's absent, but by what we're blind to seeing. Like a guitar placed in an unexpected case, God's provision and presence may be right before us, yet invisible because of the stories we've convinced ourselves to believe. The Good Shepherd invites us to see differently—to recognize that we are never abandoned, never forgotten, never beyond the reach of divine care.
This message explores how our narratives shape our reality. Whether it's assuming the worst about family members who disappoint us, feeling God has gone silent when we desperately need answers, or believing we're separated from those we love, these stories can blind us to the greater truth: nothing can separate us from God's love. Not trouble or calamity, not fears of today or worries about tomorrow, not even our own failures or mistakes.
Jesus prays for our oneness—with God and with each other—yet this unity often feels impossible amid the forces that drive us apart. The path forward isn't trying harder but surrendering our defenses, our need to be right, our reluctance to see differently. When we can hold our pain with open hands while exhaling our burdens, we discover what it truly means to have a Good Shepherd who leads us beside still waters and restores our souls.
How might your life change if you began retelling your story with beauty as the centerpiece? What blindness might be healed if you allowed yourself to see God's goodness where you've only perceived absence? The invitation stands: to be known, to be led, to be loved by the Good Shepherd who gives eternal life that nothing can take away.
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In the service of LOVE,
Pastors Dennis and Heather Drake