In just the same way, it is not the will of your Heavenly Father that one of these little ones get lost. Matt. 18:14
We all feel warm and fuzzy when we reflect on the story of the lost sheep and the shepherd who won’t rest until he finds it. We imagine a cartoon-like shepherd, with a big smile on his face, hugging his fluffy, white sheep.
It isn’t until we lose our own child in a shopping center that raw, hard emotions enter the picture. Nothing can describe the fear clawing at our insides as we frantically race around, taking shallow breaths for a heart that’s pounding in our chest and ears. With a voice bordering on hysteria, we beg for help, as our mind races ahead to all the horrors that could befall our innocent, little one.
Click here to read the remainder of this post on CatholicMom.com.
Shifting My Perspective 
Love this one, Claire. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the day to day, sometimes we forget that God is right there always to love us, protect and calm us. xoxo
LikeLike
Isn’t it though?! It seems I resolve to remember this, and then I forget, over and over again. Thank goodness our Shepherd is ever patient and ever loving! Thanks, Mom! Love you!
LikeLike
ACQUELINE MCNEIL on DECEMBER 12, 2019 15:23
One of my favorite and daily “go to” passages in Scripture, Claire. And I’ve never visualized my Shepherd as a cartoon-like figure, but rather a strong, alert, protective and caring Shepherd with a Voice His sheep recognize amidst all the other shepherds calling their folds! Similarly, when distracted with shopping in a huge department store and you suddenly don’t see your child, (I can only imagine the distress!) you possibly call out to the child who might have wandered into the next aisle. And that child, knowing your voice, hopefully comes running to you. My prayer as one of His sheep is that should I ever stray from Him even in the smallest way, I will ever hear His Voice among all the other distracting ones and come running back to Him. Thanks, as always, Claire, for your inspiring reflections that give me pause to reflect.
LikeLike
The way you describe our Shepherd’s voice calling us back is beautiful, Jackie! I especially value the part about us needing to recognize it, despite the other distracting voices that vie for our attention. Thank you for this gem!
LikeLike