“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.”  Proverbs 4:25

Wow did this verse hit home.  There are a few blogs that I read regularly, one is A Woman In Youth Ministry, love reading her words as she progresses with the calling God gave to her.  A recent post of hers was probably one of my favorite reads.  She spoke of feeling like she was silenced in her faith.  She had to look in other directions, than the ones she knew God was telling her to view, all because of her upbringing and church affiliation.

Similarly, I have felt that way in the past.  I grew up in the types of churches that were nothing but rules, basically void of God’s love; churches where making sure service was at a certain time and people sat in the same pews that they have every Sunday was way more important than showing compassion towards the hurting that tried to seek help.  These churches were all about following the lead of a dictatorship and not following the direction of the shepherd dog towards the True Shepherd.

A long time ago I was told that the pastor of a church is the shepherd of his flock (the congregation) but today my mother and I were talking about how the pastor is more like the shepherd dog keeping the people pointed back to watching the True Shepherd, Christ.  How amazing would it be if every person followed the True Shepherd and not followed the shepherd dog.

I am currently, and have been for a while now, in such a church.  I have never felt so like a Christ-like person, worthy of the title “Christian”, before this church body.  Our goal is all about “Love All, Worship One”, which is actually the name of our ministry, and we strive to live a life that seeks to complete the mission of God.  I am blessed to be a part of a church family whose eyes/gaze is straight before them, not letting the protocol or non-Biblical beliefs distract their peripheral vision.

No longer a lost lamb being distracted by the greener grass but grazing on the “Pasture” before me because that is where my True Shepherd resides.

Not Yet But Getting There!