scattered forms of goodness. This is the
journey of spiritual life. In fact, what
the teachings for the New Church say
about the steps of repentance fits nicely
into the imagery of this story. The four
steps of repentance are to “examine
ourselves, recognize and admit to our
sins, pray to the Lord, and begin a new
life.” (True Christianity 530)
“Examining ourselves” is like the
shepherd part of us looking out over
the flock. “Reco