Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us (Strength in Hymn)

Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way;

Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Hear, O hear us when we pray.

Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse and power to free.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Let us early turn to Thee.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Let us early turn to Thee.

Early let us seek Thy favor,
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior,
With Thy love our bosoms fill.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast loved us, love us still.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Thou hast loved us, love us still.

We sang this on Sunday morning at Lake Baldwin Church.
Listen to hymn and read hymn story: Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us

My little girl started swim lessons (again) at the YMCA on Monday.  I woke her up shortly before we were to leave, and she was clearly not ready for morning.  Eating a bowl or cereal and finding her clothes seemed more than she could handle, and we exchanged not a few cross words.  To top it off, the parking lots at the Y were full, so we had to drive around the block and leave our van at adjacent Phelps Park.  Hurry, hurry, hurry!  Turns out the lesson started 5 minutes later than I thought, and we got to the poolside before the teacher.  After her lesson, since we were already parked there, we decided to take advantage of the playground at Phelps Park.  

What a precious time to spend with just her, the "baby" of my ten children.  Sometimes she gets lost in the shuffle.  Sometimes she gets lost in grumpiness -- hers and mine and the other people who live at our house.  But all the time, I need to follow the example of the Gentle Shepherd, Jesus, and be kind and tender to her.

I overheard a woman at the park speaking harshly to a young child who didn't appear to be doing much of anything wrong.  I've done that before, yet hearing it from someone else's mouth and seeing it on her face is like looking in a mirror and seeing a big blemish.  Ouch!  Why do we do that?  Is it because we are such evil people?  Not necessarily.  Sure, we're a bit selfish and impatient, but I don't think most of us are trying to damage our children with unkind words and glares.  I think perhaps we haven't allowed ourselves to be led gently by Jesus.  We push, push, push ourselves beyond what is wise.   We don't get enough sleep, eat right, say "no" to cluttered schedules, or take care of our stresses and conflicts before they mushroom out of control.  We live life like it is all up to us, that we must control everything that happens to our children or else.  It must be just so, or we will be deemed as failures.  And while we push ourselves, we also push, push, push our children, often with disastrous results for all.  

Instead, we need our Good Shepherd to lead us as we lead our children.  Yes, we do need to lead our children intentionally and consistently.  This is my weak area, and I have so much to learn.  Grace does not mean just letting them do whatever they want.  We need to seek and restore them when they go astray.  We need to train them to stay on the right path.  Let's follow Jesus and do this thing right!

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11

"As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."  1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 

Savior, like a shepherd lead us,

Much we need Thy tender care.

There is so much more I could say, but I will leave you with a list of links for more reading...

Articles about gentle parenting on my Come Weary Moms blog:

Tender Compassion for Mothers
Joyful Liberty!
Amazing Grace for Home School Moms audio
Child Discipline or Child Abuse?
Web Links about Parenting with Grace Instead of Authoritarian Legalism
Mothering by Faith and Grace
The Mom's Alphabet
The Thessalonians Prescription
Stop, Drop and Roll! (How to Deal with a Conflict!)
Setting Sensible Standards
Children: Life's Greatest Treasure
Reflections on Grace Based Parenting Book
Teaching Our Children to Walk With God by Shiela Catanzarite

Articles by Karen Campbell (That Mom)

The Sweet Life of a Homeschooling Mom Comes through the Law of Kindness 
The Fruits of Harsh Parenting
The Bible’s Pattern for Discipling our Children
Grace in Parenting Series
The "Yes" Face
Nurturing Our Children for the Glory of God

Articles by Sally Clarkson

First Time Obedience, Really?
Adversarial Parenting vs Advocate Parenting 
Advocate Parenting – Heartfelt Discipline
Holiness is Not Law-Keeping by Love-Keeping
The Mystery of Child Training: Where to Begin?

Articles on Mom Heart Blog:

He Gently Leads Those with Young by Misty Krasawski
Recharging with Nap Times by Jennie Nelson
Let the Children be Children by Deb Weakly

This post is a part of my Strength in Hymn series:

Fairest Lord Jesus 
Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me
I Dare Not Trust the Sweetest Frame? 
As a Tree Beside the Water 

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com