“As Jesus came ashore he saw the large crowd and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things.” (Mark 6:34)
In our daily lives, we often encounter difficult people whose behaviors do not meet our expectations – a lazy employee, a selfish colleague, an attention-seeking kid or a rude person in public. Almost instantly, we tend to judge and label them as useless, hopeless or good-for-nothings.
God views people very differently from the way we do.
He always sees the best in people regardless of their inadequacies. When Jesus saw the lost multitudes, he had compassion on them and started to teach them many things.
How heart-breaking if a sheep does not have a shepherd. The next time when we encounter a “difficult” person, instead of being upset, would we take a different perspective and consider that perhaps this person is just unfortunate to not have a “shepherd” in his life?
Let us recognize that laziness stems from a lack of motivation, selfishness from insecurity and attention-seeking behavior from a lack of affirmation. When a “Shepherd” is present in our lives, we get transformed.
Jesus is our shepherd. He is the best motivator, who secures us, affirms us, guides us and fills us with His love.
As parents and leaders, would we be willing to spend time to shepherd those under our charge? It is easy to dismiss a difficult person, but our Shepherd Jesus would leave the 99 and go find that 1 lost sheep.
We who have experienced the love of Jesus are fully capable to love and serve others in return.
Let us reflect about the way we regard the people around us and purpose to always see others the way our compassionate Jesus would see them.
by Keith Khor
