양과 목자
Posted on June 25, 2009 by Amy @ Hope Is the Word
My
dear mother-in-law gave this gem of a book to me when Steady Eddie and I
were dating, and I’m embarrassed to say that it has fallen to the
bottom of the TBR pile for over ten years. That’s bad. However, I
choose to believe that God knew just when I would be most receptive to
this book and when I would need it the most. I read this book over the
past couple of weeks, trying only to read a chapter a day, and I believe
that I see both myself and the Good Shepherd in a different light than I
did before I read it.
Keller writes this book from the perspective of one who has intimate
knowledge of sheep and what it means to be a good shepherd. As a young
man, Keller was a sheep rancher, so he has work experience as a
shepherd. He was born and lived part of his life in eastern Africa, so
he knows the customs and practices of shephering in the Middle East, as
well. He takes his rich knowledge and applies it to our lives as
Christians, and in doing so, he breathes life into a Psalm that has
unfortunately become so well-known that it has also become stale and
perhaps even meaningless to us.
I think this is a book best read in small portions, no more than a
chapter at a time. This is difficult for me; if I like a book, I want
to gorge myself on it in one sitting. Keller divides this book into
twelve chapters; in each chapter, he expounds upon a successive phrase
from the 23rd Psalm. I read this one with a pen in hand, and really,
almost everything Keller writes in here is worthy of underlining.
Looking back over my volume, it is difficult for me to even choose just a
few quotes to share here. This book is that rich.
This book was first published in 1970. If the world needed to be
reminded of Christ’s tender love and compassion then, how much more do
we need that reminder now? If you’re going through a rough patch, if
you don’t feel tenderly loved and cared for by your Savior, if you have
forgotten all the gentle ways He shows His love, read this book.
Here is but one of the many, many beautifully profound thoughts in this Christian classic:
It is there that I will discover He only can really
satisfy me. It is He who makes sense and purpose and meaning come out
of situations which otherwise could be but a mockery to me. Suddenly
life starts to have significance. I discover I am the object of His
special care and attention. Dignity and direction come into the events
of my life, and I see them sorting themselves out into a definite
pattern of usefulness. All of this is refreshing, stimulating,
invigorating. My thirst for reality in life is assuaged, and I discover
that I have found that satisfaction in my Master.
Thank you, Lord, for these gentle reminders.