MAY 27, 2014
Blessed
Forgetfulness
Read: John
10:1-10
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved. —John 10:9
My office is
downstairs, but I make frequent trips upstairs to various rooms in my house for
one thing or another. Unfortunately, by the time I get upstairs I often forget
what I was planning to do when I got there. Researcher Gabriel Radvansky has
come up with an explanation for this phenomenon. He proposes that a doorway
serves as an “event boundary.”
After conducting three
different experiments, he theorized that a doorway signals the brain that the
information held in memory can be filed away—but it’s frustrating when I’m
standing there trying to remember why I came upstairs. However, forgetfulness
can be a blessing. When I shut the door to our bedroom at night and settle down
to sleep, it’s a blessing to forget the worries of the day.
When I think of the
fact that Jesus called Himself “the door” (John 10:7,9), I gain a new
appreciation for this metaphor. When sheep enter the pen, they enter a safe
place protected from thieves and predators. For believers, the Great Shepherd
is the door between us and our enemies. Once we enter the sheepfold, we can
“forget” all dangers and threats. We can enjoy divine forgetfulness and rest in
the protection of the Great Shepherd.
Thank You, Father, for
the peace of mind
that comes from
knowing You are standing
watch over the events
of our lives. Help us
to rest securely in
Your protection.
Christ is the door
that keeps us in and keeps the dangers out.
Insight
At the time of Jesus,
Jewish shepherds kept their flocks in communal sheepfolds—normally stone-walled
enclosures. These sheepfolds would house many flocks overnight. In the morning,
the shepherd was allowed to enter the sheepfold. As he walked and called among
the mixed flocks, only his own sheep would respond to him. Hearing and
recognizing the shepherd’s voice, his sheep would follow him out of the
sheepfold to the pasture.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
