"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8: 34-36, NIV
This has been a long arduous summer and yet so fully alive with all the possibilites that God has shown me. I'm fast approaching the nearly finished task of co-authoring a book on natural dog health with a holistic veterinarian, launched out a new product line with Saving Grace Enterprises, and ramping up for an online conference with veterinarians, doctors, etc., to help educate on stopping a superbug staph infection. Now this all sounds kind of serious right? Well not according to what God has been telling me all week!
Last Sunday in service, our pastor had a very interesting sermon on Psalm 23 as we closed out a series on The Godward Heart. We've all heard and read that psalm since we were children most likely, no matter which Christian religion we are. However, I've not ever heard it presented like this and that is most likely why it resonated so loudly with me. Let me do my usual roundabout way of getting to the point here...
Psalm 23 is all about the Shepard and His sheep, right? Understanding what a shepard's duty was and how he went about it in Jesus' day is what got my attention. Anyone who has read my articles here know that I am not only a pet lover but my business is a business in natural pet care. When our pastor started explaining how a shepard cares for his sheep and what tools he uses, I felt like God was sitting next to me and whispering in my ear and it sent shivers up my spine in a most delightful way!
I've wondered for a long time how God would use me in a natural pet care business. Then He brought me together with Dee Kreidel and Saving Grace Enterprises to create our new product line in custom hand-tooled leather collars, leashes and journals. Huh I said? How does that go with natural pet care Lord? I got an interesting answer Sunday AND one that told me not to take myself so seriously. I'll get to all that in a bit.
The shepard had a staff (we all know that) that was about 5 or 6 ft tall I believe our pastor said. It had the hook at the end we all know about and that was to keep sheep gathered in and not wandering. Sound familiar? Ever wonder why God refers to us as sheep? It's not a flattering statement because they are not the brightest creatures in creation, and they need constant tending and supervision. The shepard also carried a baton about the size of what our police officers carry today. He would use that to fend off attacking predators. He also used it for something a bit more harsh.
If one sheep was constantly wandering off and not learning to stay with the herd, the shepard would use the baton to break one or two of this sheep's legs and then immediately set them. Then he'd carry that sheep around his neck until he was fully healed. The purpose? For the sheep to become dependent upon the shepard for all its needs and to bond fully with him. Again, God does the same to His children.
Another interesting thing the shepard would do is to put oil on each sheep's head and also body to ward off pests (fleas, ticks, flies, the usual suspects). Now the oil referred to isn't your vegetable cooking oil as that would not ward off insects. Nope it was what we now know as essential oils (which by the way still are used extensively in that part of the world for their healing benefits and fast growing here in the USA) mixed with most likely olive oil. The oils served another purpose too. Sheep are goofy and get angry with each other over anything (again like us). When they did get angry, they'd go charging into each other to butt heads so hard that they could kill each other. With the oil on their heads, it would help them to skid off each other keeping them from killing each other.<
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