Of the many images in John’s Gospel, probably one of the most descriptive is that of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. For like a shepherd, Jesus is concerned with the welfare and care of his sheep.
Jesus tells us that sheep follow the shepherd because “they recognize his voice.” In other words, sheep become used to a particular shepherd and the sound of his voice, and so come to trust him – and that gives them a sense of security.
Of all the voices in our lives, the one that should be the most familiar to us is the voice of the Good Shepherd. Unfortunately, we face so many obstacles in our everyday lives that prevent us from clearly hearing this voice.
Our lives are filled with a tremendous amount of noise – or busy activity that leaves us no room for restful silence and meditation. It is difficult to perceive the voice of the Good Shepherd in the midst of all of this noise. We need to learn how to turn off the things that consume us (television, radio, Internet surfing, video games, etc.) and create pockets of time each day to simply be quiet and listen. This time is essential to hearing the voice that is speaking to us in the depths of our hearts. And this needs to happen in prayer!
There are other voices in our lives that are competing with the voice of the Good Shepherd. One is the voice of self. This is the voice that says, “I know what is best for me, so I’m going to do what I want.” This voice, even though it seems to be most familiar and trustworthy, is really the voice of a thief who wishes to steal away from us the peace that comes from abandoning ourselves to the guidance of the Good Shepherd, who alone has our best interests in mind.
Another voice is the voice of popular opinion. This is the voice that says, “everyone else is doing it, so it must be okay.” We are grasping for things that are only for the sake of approval, or to fit in. The end result is always the same: anxiety and the loss of true self-identity. Only the voice of the Good Shepherd reveals to us our true selves.
Finally, there is the voice of the evil one. This is the one we must avoid at all costs. Satan tries to tell us that we things will be fine if we follow his voice, but then he turns on us and blames us for doing something that we shouldn’t have done. And it is in this way that Satan tries to drive us further away from the saving embrace of the Good Shepherd.
So how do we prevent these voices from taking control of us? We need to re-familiarize ourselves with the clear, gentle and assuring voice of the Good Shepherd. And that is going to happen when we take the time to pray every single day. We need to make the time during the day to simply be quiet and listen for his voice. For the voice of the Good Shepherd, and his alone, will guide us to the life of happiness that we so desire.
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