KEY SCRIPTURE: John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. RELEVANCE When we think of shepherding, it usually revolves around other people, our Pastor, a story of King David as a boy, or of Jesus and his sheepfold. But what about self-shepherding? About keeping ourselves in the sheepfold of our minds and hearts? I'm not talking about sinning but being often distracted. Particularly when praying or reading, or meditating on the Word. It's the distractions that break the present fellowship and eventually impact our relationship. We all know that feeling of 'snapping out of it" during prayer as our minds wander from one thing to another, like a bee in a flowery garden flying from plant to plant. There is a term I once heard and then learned by experience. Stay In! The meaning is about departing from the Lord, but the undercarriage is about the little diversions that cause us to demean our present dialogue or centre of attention, usually our Lord. Every Christian knows what I mean, and it's a sign of immaturity. Instead of scolding ourselves or getting angry or depressed with our skittish behaviour, we could try the gentle approach of shepherding ourselves back into conversation, prayer or focus. Staying on point is an exercise. It doesn't happen by accident but is a conscious decision. After a while, that single-eyed fixating comes through love for God and needs less effort. The kinder we are to ourselves, the more balanced we become when overcoming, and we pursue it with far greater zeal. When your thoughts stray, shepherd them back into God, His holiness, and the affairs of the immediate moment. Then stand strong in that place. PRAYER Dear Lord, sometimes I get distracted from your presence. Please help me love you to the degree that I cannot take my eyes off you. Thank you.
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