You are His
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” ~ John 10:14-16 (NLT)
Sometimes we get sidetracked from the path the Lord has set before us. I am the first one to admit that I get distracted by the things of the world. They are not necessarily bad things, nonetheless distractions.
I really haven’t noticed these distractions until I took a photography workshop. I know in all places, right?!? This workshop is not only about photography; introspective exercises like journal writing prompts make this workshop invaluable to me.
You see, over a year ago, I installed a silly game on my tablet. Although this game in itself is not bad, it did distract me on a daily basis; I was eager to get to the next level. Yes, the game was a tool for me to unwind, but not in a good way. I lost any creative touches I had. And I neglected my first passion: encouraging others in the walk with the Lord.
In John 10, Jesus is talking about thieves that are out to destroy and kill His sheep. Sometimes those thieves are very subtle. They sneak into our life without us actually noticing their distraction and destruction. For me, it was a game. For others it might be a different thief; TV or sports.
Does it mean that we have to disconnect with everything in the world. Of course not. But what we need to do is set boundaries. I couldn’t with the game I was playing. Even if I said to myself to only play a certain amount of time. I had to take a drastic measures. A week ago I uninstalled the game from my tablet. Trust me, it was not easy the first couple of days, but today I am good.
And as for my creativity? Yes, I am back to photographing. The other night, instead of pulling out the game and playing for an hour, I grabbed my always-ready camera. I looked up and saw this incredible cloud formation…
Lord of mercy and grace. Help me to follow the voice of my beloved Shepherd. He is the only one I want to follow with my heart and soul. Thank You for the grace You shower upon me daily. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
Content & Photo Copyright © – Iris Nelson
Amen Sister! I know what you mean. I have a game on my phone that I like to lay in bed until I either advance or lose my lives. Until God reminded me that He should be the first and last thing on my mind, not a silly game. Love LOVE the picture you captured! ((hugs))
I am glad that I am not the only one, Laurie. Like I said, sometimes we don’t even realize the distractions that sneak into our lives.
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amen, amen
I am glad that you enjoyed the post, Denise.