The summer of 2011 I was privileged to travel with a group of amazing high school people. We toured the United Kingdom, and one of my favorite parts of this tour was Ireland. Ah, the homeland. Unfortunately, just like the commercial, I found that I am not Irish: I am English.

One of my favorite moments was the day that we got to watch a demonstration by a shepherd. There are very few shepherds in Ireland now, and this was truly a memorable day.

The Bible uses the example of sheep often, but I discovered that day that we can learn a lot from the shepherd’s right hand helper, the Border collie. The spiritual connections are so clear. I will simply list for you some of my observations.

Ponder these truths and how they relate to our relationship with God. If you are a believer, they will be so clear.

– The shepherd speaks “dog language”. Only the dogs know what he is saying when he is giving commands.

– Each dog knows his call. When the shepherd performs each individual call, all of the dogs except one stay still.

– One dog messed up terribly. He would not listen to the shepherd. The shepherd said, “His problem is he lacks guts. He will never be a good dog because of fear.”

– A small border collie with courage can make a sheep twice its size obey. The collie that does exactly as its master has trained it to do is a force to be reckoned with.

God loves us enough that He sent His Son to die for us. When we accept His gift of love, He dwells within us. He will lead us, guide us and protect us. We can trust Him. We are His children.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

Do you have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ? If so, listen to what He may be calling you to do today.