| John 10:14 – “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me.” |
My life as a small child, growing up on a farm was a life full of adventure and surprises. Too young to be responsible for many chores, my days were filled with fun. There were lots of animals to play with, trees to climb, and a creek to explore – what more could a little girl want? But few days were more exciting than when my dad brought home a newborn lamb for us to care for.
The mother had delivered twins, but for some reason had rejected this one. The owner was a friend of my dad who did not have time to bottle feed it and offered it to us. Of course, we loved the lamb, who I promptly named Tinkerbell, and we took turns caring for him. We put him in a big box in our back porch because he was much too little to leave in the barn by himself.
I remember hearing the thumping of his tiny tail against the side of the box when we would take him a bottle. When he got a little bigger, I put a collar and leash on him and walked him around the yard like a puppy. He became my best little friend. Once he was mostly grown, we put him in the main pasture with our other animals. I remember one day going to visit him after school. I had been busy and not spent much time with him for a while. I wondered what his reaction would be – would he remember me? When I opened the gate and called his name, he came running! All it took was the sound of my voice calling his name. His joy was found in being by my side.
Do we recognize God’s voice when he is calling us? Even if we haven’t heard it for a long time? And if we recognize it, what do we do? Do we go running towards him, or do we continue what we are doing and ignore him? Or even walk in the other direction? Where do we find our joy?
Prayer: Dear Lord, I never want to be so busy and distracted that I do not hear and recognize your voice when you call. Help me to stay by your side, learning and growing from your teachings. And if I do wander away, help me to come running back to you. Amen
– Betty Gossell
