“The Lord is my shepherd…”

It’s hard for Americans to imagine shepherds. We don’t HAVE shepherds in our culture. We have Walmarts and Chipotles.

But I was in Europe recently, where they have tons of shepherds. And do you know what an elderly Galician shepherd told me? He explained that Americans DO have shepherds, sort of. They’re called cowboys.

The Lord is my cowboy. Has a nice ring to it.

“I shall not want…”

Want. That word. “Want” means “lack.” As in, “I shall not go without.” I will be taken care of.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul…”

“Restore.” To bring something back from the dead. You can “restore” deleted files on a computer. You can “restore” antiques. You can restore a 1976 Chevrolette Chevette—although why would you?

And “soul.” The real you. Your soul is your living, breathing core. The mysterious electromagnetic pulses your heart emits. The unique, non-material matter of yourself that cannot be defined.

Make no mistake, your soul is not your body. Your body is just Temporary You. A reflection in the mirror. But it’s not Real You.

Real You was cradled in the bosom of God before time began, long before you were in the womb. Your eternal soul existed before this giant mess we call humanity. Before your body was made. Therefore, in a way, you weren’t ever born. Not really. Consequently, you never really die.

“He leadeth me in paths of righteousness…”

The right path. Have you ever felt that nudge inside you to do the right thing? A tiny voice that says: “Pull over, help this old man change his flat tire.” Or: “Be nice to this snotty cashier, she’s going through a lot right now.”

Sometimes, the voice says: “You don’t need this toxic person in your life, it’s time to let them go.”

Either way, the voice is ALWAYS saying, “Love, love, love.”

Because love is your true path. And the great news is you don’t have to search for this path. You can’t mess this up. You’re not going to walk off a cliff. Your cowboy won’t let that happen. Relax.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”

You’re going to go through hard times. Harder than you believed. Harder than hell. You will be brought to your knees. You will weep until you have no water left in you. And as a “Shadow of Death” looms overhead, you will be so afraid you will want to soil your pants.

But.

“I will fear no evil…”

Why won’t you be afraid? Because you listened to lots of motivational quotes? Because you’re a positive thinker? Because you read some dork’s words on the internet?

Nope. You won’t be afraid because the Shadow of Death isn’t anything to BE afraid of.

Psychology states that every human action—conscious and subconscious—is motivated by fear of death, more or less.

But what if we’ve got death all wrong?

What if dying is like being born, only in reverse? The reverse version of the Miracle of Life? What if death is really like waking up? What if dying is just the BEGINNING of the greatest adventure you’ll ever have? If this were true, it would mean that no evil on earth could touch you.

“Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of mine enemies…”

I hate to tell you this, but you cannot avoid your enemies forever. Someday, you’re going to eat supper with these yahoos.

You WILL be reunited with those who judged you, those who hated you, those who abused you. And you WILL work it out. Once and for all. You will forgive them. And somehow, you will be at peace.

“Thou anointest my head with oil…”

And you shall have a great hair day.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Goodness. Everything that happens to you is goodness. Even the bad stuff. It is ALL goodness. It is ALL mercy. It is ALL for the best. I promise.

No, you can’t see it now. No, you cannot understand it. But on that final day, when you are a fully restored soul, when all your tears have been wiped away, when the sting of living is faded, you will understand a simple truth you’ve actually known all along:

The Lord really is your shepherd.