A Year With the Good Shepherd

Posted on December 15, 2023 by

31 Comments

Photo Credit: Sam Carter on unsplash.com

As you may know, my one word for 2023 is Shepherd. As we wrap up each year, I like to look back and see how my word helped shape my year.

Here are some ways this word played a role in my life over the past twelve months.

Psalm 23 played a theme throughout the year. Many evenings when I went to bed, I would go through this famous passage in my mind. Keeping Scripture in our hearts helps us to store truth inside of us. And this is helpful in our every day lives. When different obstacles come against us, we can cling to truth and push away the lies the enemy tries to feed us.

And Psalm 23 in particular teaches us a lot about the Lord’s love and care for His sheep. It reminds us how God is constantly watching over us.

Something that was key in opening my eyes to the true depth of this Psalm and our Shepherd’s provision and protection was the book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller. This book is phenomenal. I may have highlighted more lines than not. It seemed every sentence in the book had impact. I didn’t blog about this book because I would have been retelling you everything the author said. My hope is that each of you will read it for yourselves.

Therefore, I am holding a giveaway of sorts. If you would like a copy of the book and if you live in the United States (apologies to my friends in other countries) – email me your full name and address before Christmas, and I will send you a copy. My email address is bridget@bridgetathomas.com. I hope to get some emails, because this book will change your perspective about God and how He never stops thinking about us and our well-being.

On the blog this year we studied Jehoshaphat’s story. While this story doesn’t specifically talk about God being our Shepherd, this story was still an excellent reminder that the Lord is there for us and He is looking out for us. It also reminded us to trust Him with the things we face, just as a sheep needs to trust his Shepherd for everything.

Also on the blog this year, we journeyed together through the Gratitude Challenge. Each day we looked at a verse from the Psalms, we had a short prayer, we kept our eyes open to God’s goodness, and we praised Him with music. This was a reminder that God’s extraordinary goodness is always surrounding us. He is faithful and we can lean on Him for all of our needs, just as a sheep relies on his Shepherd.

Something that was humorous to me was remembering when I was in kindergarten we had a performance in which each child played a character from a nursery rhyme. And my character was Little Bo Peep! I’m sure my parents have a picture somewhere. I believe I wore a light blue dress, and I even had a staff. So it seems my journey with sheep and a shepherd began a few decades ago. The nursery rhyme tells us that lost sheep will come home eventually. But something I learned this year is how hard the Good Shepherd chases after His sheep in order to help bring them home. And I’m so thankful for that!

Another humorous story was in the spring of this year when I bought a jacket on Amazon. I wanted something to wear for work when I got chilly. And I wanted to make sure it was nice enough to wear on zoom calls. So I chose a beige Sherpa jacket. One day when I was wearing it, I looked down and laughed. I realized I looked like a sheep in my new jacket!

For the record, I don’t enjoy taking selfies. I did this just for you, so you could see the jacket. 😅🐑

The word Shepherd has been a special anchor to me, and has helped me to lean on the Good Shepherd. When we remember that the Lord is our Shepherd, this takes a lot of weight off of our shoulders. If a sheep has a Good Shepherd, he doesn’t have to worry about anything. He feels safe because he keeps his focus on his Good Shepherd who will provide all of his needs. And we can do the same. If we only knew how much Jesus was looking out for us, it would change how we face each day.

If you had a word for 2023, I would love to hear how it shaped your year!

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.

Psalm 68:19 NLT

Category: Seeking GodTags:

31 Comments on “A Year With the Good Shepherd”

  1. I enjoyed reading about your reflection on your word of the year. I will check the book you mentioned. And I do love the sheep jacket 😁.
    I did not have a word for this year. I struggled at the start with not being able to find one. But as I spent some time last month reflecting on the year, I felt that my word for this year would have been ‘sifting’. It was year of learnings and some spiritual sifting that the Lord has been doing.

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    • Sifting – I really like that. That word has a lot of depth to it. And I like the idea of reflecting on your year to find a word or theme. It sounds like you had a spiritually significant year with the Lord. Thank you so much for sharing that. Reflecting on the year is always enlightening to me. In the day-to-day we don’t always see our growth. But when we look back, we can see things from a better perspective. I hope you wind up reading the book. I think you will enjoy it. And about the sheep jacket – thank you! Lol 😂

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  3. Bridget, I posted before but it disappeared. So I will try to recap lol. I enjoyed your story about your performance at school. It seems the Lord has been teaching you about sheep and shepherd for along time and I like your jacket 🥰

    I had a phrase, “live free” and it has been a year of learning to walk in the freedom we have in Christ. We would need to sit down with coffee to discuss it all lol. But I can see my growth over the last year through the challenges.

    Thanks for the book offer. I look forward to reading it. Last time you sent me your books and they were a blessing.

    Have a nice weekend ❤️

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  4. Oh my goodness, cute!!! I was smiling as I read about your story of the nursery rhyme of Little Bo Peep and then again with the Sherpa jacket!! I’m sure it warms God’s heart as we take notice of these little “God sightings” in our life.

    I enjoyed the Jehoshaphat lesson so much this year and then the gratitude challenge, I look forward to what you share next year. And the book you referenced sounds great!!

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    • I love how you put that – “I’m sure it warms God’s heart as we take notice of these little “God sightings” in our life.” I want to be more alert to these God sightings!
      I’m so glad you enjoyed the two big series of posts from this year. I really loved walking along my friends in those journeys. It’s amazing how much God will reveal when we take the time to listen. 🤍

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  5. I grew up raising sheep on our farm Bridget. They sure need someone looking after them. You would also enjoy Ken Davis talk or book on “Super Sheep”. A huge amount of humor to get points across. I do want to read your recommended book. Timely for me and it sounds great.

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  7. Dawn, this is for you! There is definitely something fishy going on because when I replied to you, it disappeared too! So hopefully you will see this. 🤞 And thank you for not giving up and trying again with your comment.
    I did find it funny about the jacket and looking like a sheep! But also a humble reminder that I am a sheep and Jesus is the Good Shepherd. 🐑 And I also found it ironic that I played Little Bo Peep many years ago. 😂
    Although your year had some heartache, it sounds like overall you had a good year of growth as you focused on the Lord. And I would love to sit down with a cup of coffee with you ☕️😁 Maybe one day if I am ever in your neck of the woods!
    I hope you enjoy the book. It makes me happy to know you are interested in reading it. And I hope you have a nice weekend too, my friend!

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  9. I don’t enjoy taking selfies, either, and it doesn’t surprise me that you don’t either. We are both truly “selfie”less people. 😇😇

    Ok, enough humor. I truly enjoy your posts and am inspired by your generous spirit.
    I think I have a copy Keller’s book—it was one of my grandmother’s favorites. But if I don’t, I will take you up on your offer !

    God Bless, and Merry Christmas to you and your husband!

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    • Lol, I like that – “selfie”less 😅 And I am not surprised that you also don’t like selfies. Some of our friends, like Matt and Rainer, are naturals at it. But I also think they could be extroverts, and I am quite the opposite. 😂
      That makes me smile to hear the book was one of your grandmother’s favorites. 😊
      God bless you too and Merry Christmas to you, your wife, and your family 🤗🎄

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  10. I always enjoy your posts about how your word for the year shapes and appears throughout the year. It’s like having a remember throughout the year that God is near in that recognizable way for you. Thanks for sharing! And I love that Sherpa jacket lol 🙂

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    • I love the way you put that – God is near in a recognizable way! It makes me wonder how much He is always near, yet maybe sometimes we miss it. I want to keep my eyes open for more of Him. Thanks for stopping by, Summer. And about the jacket – thank you! 😁

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  11. I will definitely have to checkout the book you shared in your post, Bridget. Psalm 23 has popped up throughout my life this year. Creativity would be the word that most fits my 2023. You’ve given me food for thought for my word for 2024.
    I’m grateful God is our shepherd. I’m thankful for your reflective walk through your 2023 blogging adventure. Merry Christmas!

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