Key verse: Psalm 139:14-16 (NCV), “I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well. You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body. When I was put together there, you saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old”.
Shepherding was one of the oldest callings in Israel, even before farming. Shepherds traveled from place to place, living in tents while driving their flocks from one pasture to another. The sheep and their shepherds lived together every minute of every day. In fact, they were so intimately bound together that individual sheep, even when mixed with other flocks, could recognize the voice of their own shepherd and would come immediately when called by name. A shepherd owned and marked his sheep. In some cases, the sheep were even branded, although branding is no longer an accepted method of identification because of the damage it does to the wool. Today, the ears of sheep are pierced with identification tags but for thousands of years, shepherds around the world marked their sheep by notching their ears with a sharp knife. Each shepherd had his own distinctive notch that indicated identity and ownership.
Stress management begins here, with not only knowledge of who we are, but the knowledge of whose we are. Learning to deal with stress must begin in a vital, personal relationship with the forever faithful, peace-giving, stress-busting God! Our identity in God, coupled with a personal relationship with Him is the basis for understanding and embracing our complete identity. An understanding of who we are and whose we are empowers us to live a life marked by peace - a life where the control and management of stress is consigned to the authority of God alone. It sounds so simple, but rarely is. The truth is that we are often blind to His unconditional love; His unfettered acceptance of us and total pleasure in who we are in His eyes.
To think that I can know God is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing truths in life, a truth I find humanly impossible to understand and difficult to grasp. However, to think that God knows me is a reality that absolutely rocks my world! But He really does! God knows me and is aware of my every thought, hears every word I speak and delights in who I am. In fact, God knows my name!
My husband, Dan, and I lived and ministered in South Florida for over twenty years. Consequently, we rarely went anywhere without running into someone we knew. At times, the fact that we were well-known in the area was irritating, but for the most part, we enjoyed the wide circle of friends God gave us in ministry. Three years ago, we moved to North Carolina to begin living the "next chapter" of life and ministry. Dan started traveling fulltime, training pastors and church leaders across the world. Our son graduated from high school and went away to college - which left me at home - alone with our 16 year-old daughter. It was not a good thing! Looking back, however, it was actually the best thing for both Danna and for me.
Danna had absolutely no desire to leave South Florida and made it very clear that she was not happy with us for forcing her to move from her place of her birth, the land of the free where every friend she would ever have in her entire life lived! Danna has never been short on drama! "Whoever heard of living next to cows and goats? And why would anyone want to live in the mountains when they could live at the beach?" she wailed. I loved the mild winters. Not Danna. "I am going to freeze to death and then you'll be sorry," she promised. I found the friendliness of the people refreshing. "They are just nosy, Mom. You had better hang on to your purse and keep every door locked," Danna warned. The open spaces of North Carolina were a wonderful change from the cramped and crowded South Florida terrain. "It takes forever to get anywhere," Danna would moan as we drove the twenty minutes to the nearest grocery store. Heaven help the country gentleman who dared to open a door for us! Danna would glare at him as if he were a stalker in search of his next victim. The soft, southern accents I enjoyed sent Danna into her best impersonation of "a Carolina redneck", twang dripping from every syllable of every word. "Seriously, mom, who talks like that?" she would ask. In retrospect, it is a wonder that either one of us is still alive!
I thought Danna's greatest struggle in moving to North Carolina was the fact that she didn’t know anyone in this foreign land to which she had been exiled by her obviously misinformed and misguided parents. But over dinner one night, she corrected my faulty perspective. "Danna, I know it’s hard to start over in a place where you don’t know anyone," I began. Her instantaneous response caught me off guard. "Mom, it is not that I don't know anyone. The problem is that they do not know me!"
In that moment, I realized that all of us define happiness and contentment on the basis of who cares that we are alive or is even aware that we exist. Stress is often the result of a relentless effort to be known. We garner worth and value by seeing ourselves in the eyes of others instead of seeing ourselves in the eyes of God. Just as the shepherd knows every sheep by name, God knows us.
A word from Mary: Does it amaze you to think that God knows your name and that He cares about every minute part of your life? For years, I have celebrated the miracle of knowing God. But when the flip side of that truth landed in my heart, my life radically changed. Prayer has been translated into a constant, ongoing conversation with God about our children, financial struggles, parking places, grocery shopping, my fears and my dreams. From the ordinary to the extraordinary, God covers it all! Why? Because I am His sheep and He is my Shepherd. God knows who I am!
Reflection points: Have you digested the truth that God really is with you; that He truly knows you and loves you?
Application steps: Read Romans 12:3 "Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you." What does this verse say about self-esteem?
Power verse: Isaiah 43:4 "You are precious to me. I give you honor, and I love you."
Just for fun: Dear Lord, so far today you should be proud of me. I haven't gossiped, lost my temper, spoken in anger, been greedy, grumpy and selfish or over-indulgent. No ill feeling has entered my heart, nor have I begrudged another soul. I am very pleased with the way I have performed thus far. . . However, in a few minutes, Lord, I will be getting out of bed to begin the day, and from that point on, I will be in much need of your help and understanding. Thank you for being there for me. Amen
