Lost Sheep
Psalm 119:176
"I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands."
"I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands."
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Time to Think
"There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from." --Elizabeth Kubler-Ross |
| To Act Examine your past difficulties, and understand the lessons that have been shown to you. |
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To Pray
Lord, teach me today to let go of the past and experience Your love. ~ Daily Thoughts from Guideposts ~
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I love animals and everyone who knows me, knows that. No, I'm not a card-carrying PETA member, just a sucker for critters. That's probably why each week I either watch or DVR both 'Dog Whisperer' and 'Rescue Ink'.
For those who don't know, "RESCUE INK is a rescue group unlike any you’ve seen before: a bunch of tattooed, motorcycle-riding tough guys who have joined together to fight animal cruelty, educate abusers and help resolve situations other rescue groups can’t – or won’t – handle themselves.
"Some of the guys grew up in the projects, some had their brushes with the law, some used their smarts to survive, even thrive on the streets. But that was then, this is now, and today they all share a common goal: Using every means within
For those who don't know, "RESCUE INK is a rescue group unlike any you’ve seen before: a bunch of tattooed, motorcycle-riding tough guys who have joined together to fight animal cruelty, educate abusers and help resolve situations other rescue groups can’t – or won’t – handle themselves.
"Some of the guys grew up in the projects, some had their brushes with the law, some used their smarts to survive, even thrive on the streets. But that was then, this is now, and today they all share a common goal: Using every means within
the thin boundaries of the law, they persuade and educate abusers about the right way to treat animals.
"Like many of the animals they save, the members of Rescue Ink know what it’s like to be given a second chance in life. And they’re using theirs to help the animals, no matter what it takes."
"Like many of the animals they save, the members of Rescue Ink know what it’s like to be given a second chance in life. And they’re using theirs to help the animals, no matter what it takes."
Great story, huh? However, aren't we all just like that? God gives us all, through Jesus, chances number two, three, four ...... ..... etc., etc., etc. Hopefully, we learn by our bad choices and try not to repeat them. Yes, we're just human, but aren't you glad that we have a merciful Father? I know that I surely am. Hope that you have a reassuring and joyful day.
Maggie
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Psalm 107:4 - "Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless."
Lost Dog
~ From Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog ~
"People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes."
~Sheila McKechnie
He looked like a little lost sheep. I saw him down the road as I pulled into my driveway. Seen from a distance his funny gait caused me to wonder just what kind of animal he was. I figured he had to be a stray dog -- one I hadn't seen in the neighborhood before.
I saw him again an hour or so later when I stepped into the garage -- he was eating our kitty's dinner, much to her obvious annoyance. He didn't even hear me approach, testifying to his advanced age. His dirty, grizzled fur of uneven length, cloudy eyes and arthritic limbs all seemed to confirm my belief that he'd traveled a long time on this earth and didn't have many miles to go before reaching his journey's end. Because of a bad leg he hopped a little with each step, causing his ears to flop and making me think of a lamb -- that and his facial markings -- a black snout surrounded by a white mask.
A broken fastener attached to his collar indicated that he'd belonged to someone at some time. Sadly, there was no identification tag. How I'd have loved to relay the message to someone that their dog had been found! I wondered how he'd come to be wandering, my imaginative mind picturing him swept away from his familiar surroundings in the recent flash flooding.
I'm not normally drawn to stray animals -- especially dogs. I fear disease, dog bites... even possible adoption and another mouth to feed. Our house is already home to more animals than humans. I didn't want to appear too friendly.
But for some reason, his pitiful appearance broke my heart. Maybe it was the way he cowered when I reached to check his collar -- I wondered what abuse he'd been subjected to in recent days. He didn't seem to be the kind of animal most homeowners would welcome around their yards and garages. Maybe it was his limp that caused me to pity him, wondering if those shaky legs would ever carry him back to the life he once knew. Or maybe it was the loss of our own old soldier just months ago -- a wound just barely healed that was reopened at the sight of a brother in similar straits -- one sure to soon walk the path our old friend had so recently trod. Even as he sniffed around the yard I couldn't get past the notion that he was looking for a place to lie down and die. He reminded me of a traveling hobo, looking for nothing more than a meal and a place to spend the night. Surely I could offer him that much.
Sometimes people are treated as poorly as the stray animals among us. I wonder how many of the homeless out on our streets have found the same reception as had this old dog. Many once had fine homes and families that loved them. But somehow they came to be lost, swept away by circumstances over which they had no control. Many of them still carry wounds of one type or another from the storms that washed them away from the lives they once knew. And now their appearances often scare away any who might be able to help. Too often these aren't the type of people we want around our homes, our lives... our churches. We fear disease. We're afraid of being hurt. We don't want to risk involvement and any possible future dependence on us that our overtures of assistance might create. And so we keep our distance, when all these fellow travelers are looking for is a meal, a place to spend the night... and maybe some direction as to how to find their way Home.
Maybe God has them cross our paths in the hope that the welcome they find in our hearts will cause them to see that which has always existed in His. After all, to Him they look a lot like little lost sheep....
Maybe God has them cross our paths in the hope that the welcome they find in our hearts will cause them to see that which has always existed in His. After all, to Him they look a lot like little lost sheep....
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Luke 15:4
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do?
Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go
to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?"
Luke 15:6
"When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying,
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‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep'."
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