Psalm 23 starts with, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Probably the most humbling realization for me in psalm 23 is that God’s people are referred to as sheep throughout the psalm. I don’t know how much you know about sheep, but they’re not the brightest animals out there. They can be very finicky and need the constant care and protection of the shepherd. A long time ago, this idea may have been offensive to me, but not anymore.

As a pastor, I constantly feel a certain amount of pressure to have my act together. I feel like I should constantly be in a good mood and never really struggle with anything. My role in most contexts is to be the one offering encouragement as opposed to the one needing it. I’m just going to be honest though, I’m a sheep. That’s why I love this psalm so much. I have a mountain of insecurities and fears that God is working with me through. I’m not always confident and I do have a lot of questions. I do the best I can to seek God, but they are days I’d rather just stay in bed and hide. My motives are not always altruistic and sometimes, I feel like I just can’t get it right. I’m not always certain of God’s acceptance of me and sometimes, I wonder if I’m going to be the kid that never got picked at kickball. I get jealous of others when they’re promoted and care way too much about my own name being in lights as opposed to the name of Jesus. I’m a sheep.

I take comfort in psalm 23. Verse 3 says, “he restores my soul.” I’m so thankful for that. I’m thankful that I don’t have to have any pretenses when I come to God. He knows my issues and loves me all the same. I’m thankful that he still chooses to use me even knowing all of my baggage. I’m thankful that he has a great plan for me even though I don’t deserve it. I’m thankful that he is my shepherd and that he’ll always have my back. I’m totally cool acknowledging that I’m a sheep and that I’d be lost without my shepherd. What about you? Don’t let pride stop you from experiencing the amazing blessing and grace that comes from being in Jesus’s flock.