Teddy's Treat

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:10-15 ESV). Teddy is our little rescue terrier. He has quite a personality. The vet tells us that he has the physical attributes of a Norfolk Terrier which means he has a gregarious personality and enjoys playing and interaction with people and other animals. I can certainly tell you that he has made our lives richer with his antics. He can be so funny with some of the simplest of things. Just the other day we had come in from a walk and I asked him a standard question: “Would you like a treat?” I’m not sure he really understands any of those words except “treat;” but he does know that one. He ran to the cabinet where the box of treats are kept and sat up as he has been trained; I got him a treat and handed it to him. He dashed off to enjoy the beef flavored Milk Bone. I sat down to do a little writing and I hear him whining. He is pacing back and forth in our little apartment with the treat in his mouth with a look that tells me he doesn’t know what to do with it. My suggestion is that he simply lay down and enjoy it! That certainly wasn’t met with any acceptance. He begins to look for a place to “bury” it. He looks in his bed, in the couch, and even under the bed. I’m amazed. He does finally come back into the living area and eat the treat; but, he went through a lot of angst unnecessarily. It struck me that we are a lot like Teddy in our Christian lives. Jesus is telling us in our reading today that he is our Shepherd; and, he is not merely a shepherd, he is the Good Shepherd. It is important to know that the word used here for "good" doesn't just mean morally good, though it includes that. It also could be translated "beautiful" or "winsome" or "lovely," even "attractive." Jesus is the beautiful, attractive, winsome Shepherd, and the Shepherd's plan for His flock, more specifically, the Lord's plan for us is that our lives would flourish. It is His absolute joy to bless us. He likes to give us treats! Sometimes we have a false concept of God in which we see Him as stingy with His blessings. But nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that God wants to bless us even more than we want to be blessed. He wants us to have life, and that abundantly. This abundant life is not necessarily a long life, though it may be, but it certainly is a full one. Medical science seeks to add years to our lives, but only Jesus can add life to our years. So, run to the cabinet, sit down and get your treat. Then, go and enjoy it. Jesus earned it for you!