Sunday, April 29, 2012

Witness from a Lamb

As we are reminded, today, that we have a Good Shepherd willing to lay down His life for each one of us, I again pass along words from our friend Joy:

“This morning in my quiet time, I was given this image in my mind of The Good Shepherd and myself....

“I was one of many of His lambs following Him, but, oh, so often I would wander off the path.  I was a stubborn, dumb, curious little lamb and Our Lord was constantly having to come and find me and rescue me from some trouble of my own making that I was getting into; to the point where He finally put a bell around my neck so He could come to my aid. 

“As I’ve matured in my spiritual life and have grown on my journey, I am now a full grown, mature sheep.   He has been able to remove the bell from my neck because I no longer wander off on my own, but stay very close to Him, never leaving His side.  As He would sit and rest on a big rock at the side of a lake with all of His lambs safely around Him, I would come and lie by His side as close as I could, touching Him, comforting Him, and longing for His touch.  He would lovingly reach down and stroke me, reassuring me and comforting me in return.  I have no desire to ever leave Him.   I will try not to wander away again, but always stay at His side and on His path of obedience. 

“But still and all, knowing and trusting that should I, in a weak moment, veer off of the path again, I know He will never give up on me, or tire of coming to me and bringing me back to His side.”

In the cloister of God's will, we are not left to fend for ourselves.  We have Someone tending to us, constantly loving us; Someone rescuing us from harm and setting us on the right path over and over. 

He never tires of caring for us.  He never, ever tires.  

"I am the good shepherd.  I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me, in the same way that the Father knows Me and I know the Father; for these sheep I will give My life.... I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.  No one shall snatch them out of My hand."  (John 10:14-15, 28)