The Shepherd

    There, in the middle of the dark, cloudy forest, searching endlessly for where to go, stands the sheep. 

    Thoughts had gone dark. The joy that the sheep once felt standing with the shepherd had faded. One moment, one little distraction turned the sheep’s head, and all of sudden, the shepherd was nowhere in sight.

    ”What happened?” wondered the sheep. “Where do I go from here?”, “How do I find the way?”, and on and on the questions kept turning in the sheep’s mind. 

    Lying under the huge, long branches of a tall tree as the huge clouds filled the sky above, the sheep wept bitterly. Time seemed to have stopped, and nothing appeared to be moving. Everything felt grey. 

    A thought rings in the sheep’s mind, “Look up”. Picking up its head, off in the distance just seen over some bushes is a man. He is seen wearing a brown robe, and walks with purpose. 

Seeing the man, the sheep jumps to its feet realizing it’s the shepherd, and runs toward him. 

He stretches out his arms and wraps them around the sheep. Both sob as they embrace each other. As they pull away to look at each other, they take note of the scenery around. The once dark, cloudy forest has now turned into a glowing green meadow. Flowers are in bloom, and a peaceful stream just a little ways away can be heard. 

The shepherd offers his arms and the sheep jumps up into his grasp. The two of them leave joyfully through the meadow, back towards town. The shepherd arrives back at his home, and everyone in the town rejoices with him. He had found his lost sheep, and all was well again.

References: Luke 15:1-7, Psalms 23

We all get lost in this world’s wilderness of distractions. When we wander and become unsure of where to go, it’s easy for us to slip into a mindset of despair. But when all seems hopeless, we do not have to stay stuck there. 

Jesus never walks away from us. We are the ones that wander. But when we turn our heads back towards Jesus, that is where we will experience peace once again. 

So sheep, what will you do?

Shalom shalom,

One of the sheep Jesus found and saved