The Shepherd was there in an instant and easily reached down, lifted her and carried her close to His heart. She no longer felt like that confident, adventurous, social little beast. She buried her head in His chest and began to shake with pain. This moved Him to hold her more closely. So tightly was she wrapped in His arms, I knew she could probably hear His heart beat. The warmth of His chest quickly comforted her. Securely nestled in His arms, she knew she was safe now. His tender love and compassion enveloped her and began an immediate healing work in her body. Her crying stopped. The pain seemed to dissipate. She almost wished her wounds wouldn’t go away so she could remain in His strong, caring arms forever! Dancing, frolicking and being adventurous were fun. But now being completely surrendered in His arms was the most exhilarating experience of her life. She was weak, needy, and utterly dependent and it was glorious! There was nowhere else she would rather be.
When I turned to see Jesus on the path to see if we should continue our journey, He wasn’t there. As I turned back to the rocky hills, I realized the Shepherd holding the sweet little lamb was the Lord Jesus. He was stroking the lamb and weeping over her. When I looked more closely, it was no longer the beautiful, well-kept lamb, but that pathetic lamb form the beginning of my journey. As His tears fell upon her, she became transformed. Her wool turned white as snow. The diseases seemed to leave her body. Her crying and shaking stopped. She began to lift her head and look up at Him. As her eyes looked into His, the tears flowed again from the Shepherd and the little lamb. I have never seen so clearly such a look of compassion, love and tenderness. His grip on the lamb tightened. She looked away in shame and despair. But He quickly embraced her head and lifted her eyes to meet His again.
This was a different look. Somehow, I knew it was one of grace and forgiveness. The little lamb received her Shepherd’s loving grace. It was like a surge of energy flowing through her and she excitedly began to wriggle. The Shepherd put her down and she danced all around Him. He began to sing a love song over her as He danced in delight with her. She felt so special, so honored to be His little lamb. As they danced down the path together, He sang a special love song over her. He gave her a name which meant “always near my heart.”
// continue this journey with us throughout the week //
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