Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
There are always times in our life where we will feel broken, hurt, and dejected. A while back an e-mail was shared with me that I recall when I feel broken, hurt, or dejected and need to be reminded, I am loved by God. In these times of heightened anxiety and divisiveness it’s more common for us to have these broken moments. As such, I share this simple message which I hope and pray can do the same for you as it does for me in those times when you need to be reminded of God’s great love for you. The message goes like this…Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind. These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Their spirit is broken. These lambs are called “bummer lambs.” Unless the shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the shepherd does? He takes that rejected little one into his home, hand-feeds it and keeps it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to his chest so the bummer can hear his heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock. But that sheep never forgets how the shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to him first? That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows his voice intimately. It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the one who loves it. So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat. We may be broken but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd.
We are all broken at some point, but the Good Shepherd loves us and holds us and moves us forward to live into who we were created to be. May we recall this in our times of brokenness.
In His Peace,
Pastor Nicki
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