I have a shepherd

Have you ever wanted a "big brother"? Someone who could defend you, take care of you and be there for you when you needed someone bigger and stronger than yourself?
I have. I don't have a big brother in the natural, but I am happy to say that I have the best "big brother" I could ever have in the spiritual realm; His name is Jesus, and he is not only my big brother, but my SHEPHERD. David had found this out, and he says in Psalm 23:1;
"Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want."
Since God is no respecter of persons, He is also my shepherd, and I shall not want. What does that mean to me in my everyday living?
What is a shepherd? What does a shepherd do, what are his characteristics?
According to Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary, a shepherd is a person who takes care of sheep. The verb to shepherd means to guide or direct (people) as if they were sheep.
David had been a shepherd from his youth, and he describes his experience thus;
"And David said unto Saul, Thy servant was keeping his father's sheep; (he was a shepherd) and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God" (1 Samuel 17:34-36).
A shepherd watches over his sheep, conquers intruders and makes sure his sheep are safe, protected, fed and nurished. That's how my shepherd takes care of me, that's how your shepherd takes care of you.
The essential thing, however, is to stay near to the shepherd. If I run away from the shepherd, I run away from his protection and care; I am on my own.
Today I thank the Lord for being my Shepherd, and I am determined to stay close to Him.