Do you ever feel like you are just one of the herd? I know I am guilty of this. There are times when we all feel lost. For some reason, Easter always makes me think of sheep (I'm not sure why - maybe because we always had leg of lamb for Easter dinner??) and sheep make me think of so many things! I think of the scriptures, my mission, and the times when I feel like I am like a sheep, blindly following. I have been pondering today on the promise that we are not alone. The times when I have felt this are the times that I have learned the most. I love the scripture in Luke 15 about the lost sheep. It brings so much comfort to my soul to know that even though I may be within the ninety and nine, my Shepherd loves me individually (Luke 15: 3-7). While I was on my mission, I had a plethora of learning experiences. One of my favorites happened in my first area, Navajo Mountain, Utah. I was serving on the Navajo Reservation (where I served the majority of my mission) and among the sagebrush and hogans, I had a life changing experience. My companion, Sister Donahue and I had exactly one active investigator (which was a pretty good accomplishment!) and we had gone out to her house to teach her the 5th discussion. As we sat there with her, we could tell that she was quite distracted. We asked what was wrong. Her sheep had not come home, the sheep dogs came back without the herd. This was devastating to her, sheep are their way of life. So, my companion and I got into our trusty blue Ford Ranger and went looking for a herd of sheep. Now, this was no easy task...there are LOTS of free roaming sheep on the reservation! We found one herd not too far from her house. We went back and told Vicki, our investigator, what we found. She asked us to describe the individual sheep to her; we did and they were not hers. So, we set out again. This time, we began our search with a prayer. Not 2 minutes later, we found the herd and guided them safely home. Vicki was in tears. She was so overcome with emotion (and honestly I didn't quite understand because to me, they were just animals) and she looked at us and thanked us over and over again. Then, she told us how important each individual sheep is to her. She knew them all. That is how she knew the first herd we found wasn't hers. She told us that each sheep is vital. From this, I gained the greatest example of how our Shepherd must see us, we are His and He knows each of us, we are vital to Him. I learned that not only did He pay the ultimate sacrifice for each of us on the cross, but we belong to Him. Each time I feel lost, I think of this story and know that He is always guiding me in the right direction. I am so grateful for this time of year, when we get to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful blessing it is to know Him and to know that He loves us, individually. Each of us truly is dear to the heart of the Shepherd.
Do you ever feel like you are just one of the herd? I know I am guilty of this. There are times when we all feel lost. For some reason, Easter always makes me think of sheep (I'm not sure why - maybe because we always had leg of lamb for Easter dinner??) and sheep make me think of so many things! I think of the scriptures, my mission, and the times when I feel like I am like a sheep, blindly following. I have been pondering today on the promise that we are not alone. The times when I have felt this are the times that I have learned the most. I love the scripture in Luke 15 about the lost sheep. It brings so much comfort to my soul to know that even though I may be within the ninety and nine, my Shepherd loves me individually (Luke 15: 3-7). While I was on my mission, I had a plethora of learning experiences. One of my favorites happened in my first area, Navajo Mountain, Utah. I was serving on the Navajo Reservation (where I served the majority of my mission) and among the sagebrush and hogans, I had a life changing experience. My companion, Sister Donahue and I had exactly one active investigator (which was a pretty good accomplishment!) and we had gone out to her house to teach her the 5th discussion. As we sat there with her, we could tell that she was quite distracted. We asked what was wrong. Her sheep had not come home, the sheep dogs came back without the herd. This was devastating to her, sheep are their way of life. So, my companion and I got into our trusty blue Ford Ranger and went looking for a herd of sheep. Now, this was no easy task...there are LOTS of free roaming sheep on the reservation! We found one herd not too far from her house. We went back and told Vicki, our investigator, what we found. She asked us to describe the individual sheep to her; we did and they were not hers. So, we set out again. This time, we began our search with a prayer. Not 2 minutes later, we found the herd and guided them safely home. Vicki was in tears. She was so overcome with emotion (and honestly I didn't quite understand because to me, they were just animals) and she looked at us and thanked us over and over again. Then, she told us how important each individual sheep is to her. She knew them all. That is how she knew the first herd we found wasn't hers. She told us that each sheep is vital. From this, I gained the greatest example of how our Shepherd must see us, we are His and He knows each of us, we are vital to Him. I learned that not only did He pay the ultimate sacrifice for each of us on the cross, but we belong to Him. Each time I feel lost, I think of this story and know that He is always guiding me in the right direction. I am so grateful for this time of year, when we get to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful blessing it is to know Him and to know that He loves us, individually. Each of us truly is dear to the heart of the Shepherd.
Wow, Christina, that was powerful. Thank you for sharing your story and sentiments this Easter weekend and have a wondderful Easter.
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