By Sarah Moenkedick MNSU Senior Written by Cody and Susan Vanasse “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. … I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10: 10-11, 14-15) I was at a point in my daily prayer when I was really doubting and uncertain about where my relationship with Jesus was, or even how to relate with Jesus. For quite some time I had felt that Jesus was not choosing me; that He did not desire to know me in the way that others seemed to know Him. While sitting in adoration, I opened my Bible and I happened to read over John 10. I was struck to the heart. I began to reflect on the relationship between a shepherd and a sheep. A shepherd invests and cares so deeply for each individual sheep of his flock. The sheep on the other hand, have no idea what is going on. Their job is to have complete trust and follow the voice and guidance of the shepherd. This is where I lacked; I had never totally surrendered everything to Jesus. I didn’t trust in His voice because I had thought He abandoned me. But through this scripture passage, He so gently reminded me of who He truly is. He patiently led me back to the truth that He desires to know me in a personal and intimate way. It is in these little, yet profound, moments in the silence of prayer that God speaks to my heart. These little encounters reveal to me the great mystery of who I am and to whom I belong. The more time I spend conversing with God, the more I realize how unique every person’s relationship with Him is and how beautiful it is that He speaks to us all so differently. Whenever I find myself lost in prayer, I always turn back to John 10. I ask Jesus where I am lacking in trusting Him and then I surrender to His love, the love of Him laying down his life on the cross so that I might live. 6
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