I had the privilege this past weekend of joining a Spanish-speaking Sunday school class in Watertown, WI. A friend of mine, Laura Harpole, attends Maranatha Baptist Bible College and has been a part of this ministry during her time at college. She arranged for me to come up for the weekend to see the college’s spring play (a classic who-done-it where at some point during the evening you’ve guessed ALL the characters as being the criminal) and do a chalk drawing for the class on Sunday morning. The class leader, Jonathan Rehfeldt, has been recently accepted by Baptist World Mission to work as a missionary in Uruguay, so he will be starting his deputation process this summer. It was great to meet everyone, and to see a good outreach to the growing Hispanic community there.
As I was preparing for the drawing, I spent a lot of time meditating on the verses in John 10 about our Good Shepherd. This phrase stuck out to me – “He calls His own sheep by name” (John 10:3). It hit me again how much Jesus cares for each of us individually. He knows all the details of our lives both small and great. I’m not just one unknown, random sheep lumped in with a bunch of others. And Jesus doesn’t make mistakes and get us mixed up either. How much we enjoy being called by our correct names, rather than that of someone else. We may respond to it (like I respond to people calling me by my sister’s name), but we’d rather be remembered as being who we are.
What is more, my name Amy literally means “beloved”. So, every time someone talks to me, I’m being addressed as one who is loved. It’s a daily reminder of the love Jesus shows me, and of His faithfulness as my Good Shepherd.
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly… And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 10:9-10, 17:3)
Dear Beloved Amy,
Thank you for the encouraging reminder of God’s love in our lives- a personal, real, and everlasting love!
Great drawing!
Love,
Jubilee
Happy Birthday, Amy! 🙂
Thanks! 🙂
So glad it went well! I was praying for you. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!