“The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I lack.” Psalm 23 is easy to pray but much harder to incorporate into our busy lives.  

Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III

If the Lord is truly my shepherd, then I ask myself; “Why do I postpone prayer to dedicate more time to problem solving?”; “Why am I concerned with being successful rather than faithful?” and “Why do I resist having a shepherd lead me to the greenest pastures and then resist allowing him to make me lie down in them?’” 

Unfortunately, I often focus on achieving rather than receiving, and successful outcomes rather than my relationship with the Good Shepherd. Lord, have mercy! 

When we think that “the grass is greener on the other side,” we may conclude that others are more blessed than we are if they have a better situation in life or have been successful in accomplishing personal goals. This should not be the case if the Lord is truly our Shepherd.  

Pope Francis’ counsel to priests is worth mentioning since it applies to the priesthood of the baptized: “The priest is the poorest of men unless Jesus enriches him by His poverty, the most useless of servants unless Jesus calls him His friend, the most ignorant of men unless Jesus patiently teaches him as He did Peter, the frailest of Christians unless the Good Shepherd strengthens him in the midst of the flock; and no one is more ‘little’ than a priest left to his own devices.” It is better to be led than to lead and to be fed by the Eucharist than to feed ourselves. 

Recollecting prayer about how Jesus loves us unconditionally is essential to finding that peace which only he can give in the midst of troubles. St. Augustine wrote about this: “To be honest with you, my obligations involve me in so much turmoil that I feel as though I were tossed by storms on a great ocean; when I remember by whose blood I have been redeemed, this thought brings me peace as though I were entering the safety of a harbor; and I am consoled, as I carry out the arduous duties of my own particular office.”  

If you are like me, we are all trying to get somewhere. We live in a world of migration, and so many are trying to find a home to dwell in. All of us are restless creatures, and we will remain restless until we find our home in him. We need to be responsible and fulfill the duties of our state of life, but we also need to set aside time for prayer and guard it with barbed wire, lest the enemy silently sows anxiety into our hearts. Let us not succumb to the danger of self-pity by imagining a different life or being paralyzed at the prospect of failure in the future.  

The grass is not greener on the other side; the grass is greenest in the pasture where Jesus makes us lie down. Immersion into the heart of God is our concern. Let us allow the Lord to speak to our restless hearts so that we will live in peace, joy and experience eternal life in him.