“The Good Shepherd looks after His scattered flock and rescues them from darkness.” ~ Ezekiel 34:12
Angie would never forget THAT day -
that day as an eight-year-old, she stood staring up at the 150-foot-tall
Matterhorn. When she dropped her gaze to
look for her friends and parents, they’d vanished into a sea of Magic Kingdom
visitors.
She was lost … and petrified. A blanket of desperation had started to spread over her.
The evening sky grew darker and devilish. Soon her sobbing turned into loud cries; so
loud she began gasping for breath.
Mercifully, a kind woman stopped, knelt at the child’s eye
level, and promised to wait until someone came to find her. Looking back, it probably wasn’t more than a minute or two, but each second felt like an hour.
Suddenly her Dad appeared from the crowd and scooped her
into his arms with an embrace that stole both her breath and the heat from her
skin. He wiped her tears with a
calloused finger, roughness that brought more relief than her little heart
could hold.
Angie tried to speak but all she could do was croak, "I
love you Daddy, I won’t leave you again, not ever!” His mouth painted a grateful smile. He nodded once before folding her into his
arms again.
When she remembers that day nearly twenty years ago, her
eyes still water with tears of every kind.
She’d never been happier to see anyone in her entire life.
Aren’t we all just seconds away from getting lost and prone
to falling, failing, and forgetting?
We have been lost sheep at some point in our lives - easily
distracted, defenseless, and constantly needing direction, forgiveness,
healing, and rest.
Happily, we’re not only needy sheep but also lucky sheep,
because we have a Shepherd. And not just
any shepherd, but the Good Shepherd. His
name is Jesus – one who shows us how He can and does care for each of our
individual wants, needs, hopes, and dreams.
Sheep are always looking for something else to eat or
drink. They’re never satisfied, always
wanting something more and moving from place to place to get it. We’re the same way, aren’t we? We’re always moving on to the next best
thing. We can never quite have
enough! When the next iPhone gets
released, we’ll be anxiously waiting for it.
But our Shepherd can satisfy our souls. He is what we truly need. Even when we are far away from God,
completely unaware of His presence, He actively pursues us, calling us to Himself.
