Taylor called Saturday from Cambodia. This is the first time we have talked to him since he reached Asia. While his voice sounded strong to me, he has been sick quite a bit of the time. So what do you say to a child on the opposite end of the earth when things are rough? We can pray, but there doesn’t seem much else to do.
I did e-mail Taylor some things we all need to remember about our Good Shepherd. “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” If, indeed, I am just a sheep trying to follow His voice, then I can be confident of a couple of things. First, He goes ahead of us. Jesus faces the danger before we do. Whether it is a rocky road, a wild animal, or a fierce storm, the Shepherd meets the difficulty before the sheep does. We can persevere because He perseveres. We walk in hope, because He is our hope. Isn’t this true?
We can also have great confidence in His wisdom and the choices He makes for our lives. The Good Shepherd will not take the sheep down a path they cannot travel. So if we find ourselves on a difficult road, God knows we can make it. “If were too hard, He would not take me this way.” As a lowly sheep, that’s what I believe. Oh to trust the Shepherd!
Of course, I can’t tell my son anything I’m not willing to embrace myself. Many of you know we’ve gotten some great news regarding my health. Just a trace of the cancer is found in my blood now, which means I’ve not had chemo since before Christmas. While this protein count is basically immeasurable, it seems wise to harvest stem cells in case a future transplant is needed. From beginning to end, this will be a three to four week process that is not too unpleasant. As a dumb sheep, I often reason with the Good Shepherd that the ‘path of the stem cell transplant’ is far too dangerous a journey… but we’ll trust He knows best 
I hope to go through this next step soon and then forget about disease for a while. Please accept our thanks for your prayers. Somehow the Good Shepherd lets our prayers be a part of His mysterious ways, and we are so grateful for the many people who remember us. May we all rejoice that “we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”
“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice… I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep… I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:1-30