The One Grieving Sheep

The One Grieving Sheep

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” — Luke 15:4

      How many of you have become somewhat tired of the whole 'six, seven' fad (as you read that you probably heard the way that kids say it along with the sterotypical hand motion)?  My youngest says it at the most random moments and enjoys tormenting my current work staff with the phrase.  What is the meaning behind it?  Well, nothing.  It's two common numbers placed together in a nonsensical way.  

      Today's devotional focuses on another number, a number with significant meaning.  The number is one.  I want to take a look at the parable of the 99 but instead of calling it the parable of the 99 I want to call it the parable of the 1.  I imagine the sheep before I imagine the shepherd in the text.  Why?  Because I can relate to that sheep.  We often focus on the one lost sheep and we hammer it for wandering from the fold.  Now the text is talking about salvation showing that Christ would leave the 99 to go after the one sheep that is lost and in need to being rescued.  The idea of reaching the one sheep seems unfathomable, that is until you are that one sheep. But my application is a little different, so bear with me.  I want to look at it from the view of Christians being the flock of God. Not all sheep wander off to be brave, independent, or to be rebellious.  Not all of the sheep of God's pasture wander away because they want to be alone or to live a life of sin.  Some sheep wander because they are tired. Distracted. Weak. Grieving. Maybe injured. And suddenly it becomes quiet. The noise of the flock faded, the warmth disappeared, and the night settled in.

      Lost sheep are not just lost.  They are lonely.  They are afraid.  They are vulnerable.  That sheep would have felt the cold first. Then the fear. Then the crushing realization: I don’t know how to get back.  That’s grief.  Grief is waking up one day and realizing the life you knew is gone, and you don’t know how to return to it. It’s the silence after loss. The fear of the dark. The ache of being separated from what once made you feel safe and turned your definition of home upside down.  It takes away everything that you knew and hoped for.  Grief can define you or destroy you.  Grief can make us wander far from God.  Grief can take the most stalwart Christ follower and make them ask questions and have doubts.  The grieving sheep wanders because the ground beneath their feet fell away.

      From the sheep’s perspective, nothing changes for a long time until he suddenly hears footsteps.  The Good Shepherd doesn’t shout directions from a distance. He doesn’t wait for the sheep to figure it out. He comes into the dark. He searches the ravines. He steps into the cold night. And when He finds the sheep, He doesn’t scold it. He lifts it. He carries it.  That is how Jesus approaches those of us that are grieving and hurting.  He doesn't come wagging the finger of judgment.  He is the man of sorrow, the Scripture makes it clear that He is acquainted with our sorrows.  He understands and He comes to the grieving, hurting, doubting, fearful sheep.  Why?  To rescue it.

      That's why Sons of the Shepherd exists.  I want to represent the Savior who left the 99 to go into the fields to find that one wandering sheep that is crying out in the night.  Take one moment and picture a little lost sheep having the endure the darkness, the storm, the cold, the hardships alone.  That image of a cute sheep breaks our heart.  Now picture a man (or any grieving person for that matter).  That man is lonely, he's sad, he broken, his faith is probably anemic at best, and he probably feels abandoned.  He might be hiding the pain with a mask, but deep down that man is wounded and crying out.  The Good Shepherd would take steps to love that grieving man....and I want to mirror that image.  I feel called by the Lord to go into the fields and find those that feel forgotten, misunderstood, underrepresented,  and marginalized.   I want to meet them in those dark moments and point them to the Good Shepherd who want to lovingly take them up in His arms.  I realize that this field might be niche and potentially smaller then reaching nations or people groups, but instead this burden is for the one sheep, for those that quietly behind closed doors cry and question, for those that wonder if life is still worth the living.

      Jesus tells this story so we would understand something deeply personal, when you are hurting, brokenhearted, and overwhelmed, He comes for you.  Read that again.  Set it to memory.  He comes to you.  Your grief might seem to drive other people away, but not Him.  He hears your cry, He knows your pain, and He is for you not against you.

      Grief does not disqualify you from His love. Weakness does not make you less valuable. Your sadness does not make you a burden. If anything, it draws His attention.  You may feel like the one forgotten, isolated, left behind, but Jesus says the one is worth the search. Worth the journey. Worth the rescue. And sometimes, the most faithful thing a grieving heart can do is this, stay still and let Him come to you.  He isn't asking you to be strong enough, for you to know the answer to all the questions.  He just wants you to let yourself be found. Let yourself be carried.  Because the Shepherd is already on His way.