What does genuine love and care for others look like?
The Bible says that one of the markers of true love is that it is to be ready to die in the service of others.
I was ready to die not too long ago. Still if I’m being honest about it, it was purely for selfish reasons. It was to serve my own desire for a swift end and eternal rest, and was not in any way to serve anyone else but myself.
Right now, I can’t say that there are any “sheep” who know me and recognize me. There is no one whom I can pinpoint whose “hearts are mine”, just as the verse says,
I alone am the Good Shepherd, and I know those whose hearts are mine, for they recognize me and know me, just as my Father knows my heart and I know my Father’s heart. I am ready to give my life for the sheep.
John 10:14-15
What I do know for sure is that my Father knows my heart.
The Creator King who pulled me from the depths of despair when I was praying for death knew exactly how to get through to me — what words to use, what pressure to apply, which button to press.
I’m not in a position to claim be to a “good shepherd” to anyone else these days.
But at the very least, I am well aware of which side I should be on, whose care I should be seeking.
