For fourteen years, until Hurricane Irma, I spent three to six months of every year living and working in Tortola. The British Virgin Islands were a great place to jump onto deliveries, taking boats across open ocean from points on the Antilles to other places on the globe. It was an exciting place to race on big boats in all the famous Caribbean races as well as in many of the local ones. Most wonderful was my primary job of teaching people how to sail by taking them out for a week or two on instructional charters. In between those charters I would have days off – often several days at a time, given the rhythm of the charter industry. There was one particular instance I remember when I had a full and well deserved week of rest to look forward to, and I wanted to spend it focused on the Lord.
Sounds pretty holy, but the truth is I was still thinking of him as a harsh master whose love I had to earn, and being a tad competitive, I intended to win some sort of “Best Christian” award for my love for him. I was trying to think of a way to help myself remember to think about him…obviously forgetting the ‘shampoo incident’ of my college years. I considered thinking about him with every meal, but I seldom remembered to say grace so that seemed unlikely. My eyes fell on my cell phone, and I thought about how many times during the day I would check it for texts. I figured if I made it a point to ‘check in’ with God every time I checked my phone, I’d be doing better than the average Christian. It sounds so tacky but I was sincere! I determined that very morning that I would start looking for him often throughout the day, thanking him, worshipping him, listening for his direction, following any leading I could discern. At the time, that was my idea of what it meant to abide in Christ – a kind of boot camp where I am always ‘on call’.
It didn’t take long for me to spring into action. I was resting in one of the catamarans in the marina at Nanny Cay, reading a book, when I ‘got a nudge’ to leave the boat and head toward the resort. I was jazzed and ready for Anointed Action. Not knowing yet where exactly I was to go, I put down the book, hopped off the boat, and strode purposefully up the dock toward the resort shops. I was keeping my ears open for instruction as I walked, assuming there would be something to do or someone to engage. When I was almost to the row of shops and no further instruction had come, I paused – surely there was a mission to perform! I strained my ears for God’s directions, but all I heard was a little rustling sound behind a bush. It caught my attention. In that one quiet moment when I was not pushing God to give me something important to do for him, I noticed some faint noises with the rustling; they sounded like little peeps. I leaned over to peek around the bush and saw eight incredibly cute baby chicks – yellow puffs no bigger than marshmallows. They were tumbling over one another, clumsily trying to peck some water out of a lid. Understand, there are always chickens in the islands – chickens walking through restaurants, chickens roosting on the hillsides, myriads of roosters crowing at 4:00 in the morning. I had learned to expect chickens, but very seldom did I see chicks. I was enthralled and I sat down to watch them, but only for a minute before rising to continue my ‘mission’….whatever it was.
There was nothing. I was listening, trusting, looking for any sort of guidance. Nothing. So I asked the Lord what he had wanted from me – why he had given me ‘the nudge’ in the first place? My jaw dropped when I heard him say “I just thought you would enjoy seeing the baby chicks”. It had never occurred to me that God might think that way. I ran back to the boat to get some crackers to feed the chicks and we enjoyed them together a good long while. It’s such a happy memory, and a valuable lesson, showing me a God who likes to relax and enjoy his creation.
I pondered all he had done for me in showing me that side of himself – the God who gives gifts instead of assignments, the God who sees and treasures and actually enjoys each little life. I recognized him as Jehovah Rohi, the shepherd. A shepherd is a constant companion who knows his charges well and cares for them completely. He knows each one individually. The relationship is tender. The shepherd nourishes his sheep, protects them, guides them – he gives them everything they need. Even joy. He looks for ways to bring peace to his flock. His flock becomes very familiar with his voice; they learn that his voice is the only one they can trust. References to shepherding and to sheep are throughout Scripture. Jesus is the perfect example of both the Good Shepherd and the Ultimate Sheep when he gave himself up to be our sacrificial lamb. I love the references – the sheep I knew from the family farm stood in stark and positive contrast to the goats I frequently saw in the islands. The goats were often mean to each other and could be mean to people whose backs were turned to them. I am thankful for a gentle God who shepherds his sheep into joy!
*Taken from “The Courtship of Christ”