Theme: Obedience to God

The straying sheep

There was a shepherd who took care of many sheep and loved them very much. He knew each one perfectly. He was a very good shepherd, giving the sheep everything they need and protecting them from harm.

Every day, the shepherd took his sheep for a walk. They walked in a group and he went with them, alert to everything that happened. There were wolves in the area, but the shepherd was big and strong. The wolves respected his presence and did not dare to come close.

When a distracted sheep moved away from the group, the careful shepherd called her back, raising his staff and guiding her to the herd again. As a result, the walks were always smooth.

But a sheep started to think that she didn't have to live like this, always obeying and doing the same things every day. She began to want to try other things and to think that wolves were not so dangerous.

One day, that sheep gave in to these thoughts and strayed from the flock. When the shepherd saw that she was distant, he called her and pointed with his staff the path that she should follow. But the sheep turned away and kept moving. The shepherd realized, then, that it was not an oversight, but a decision that the sheep had made.

The other sheep thought that the shepherd would bring her back at any price, because they knew of the love he had for them and that he wanted to keep them protected. But he did not do that. The shepherd knew that if he brought his sheep by force, the situation would be worse, as she would try to walk away again on other occasions until she was able to have the experience she was looking for.

The pastor let her go, even though he was very sad.

At the end of the day, the shepherd took the sheep to the fold to rest safe and comfortable. But the stray sheep had not yet returned. She was cold and afraid of the dark, she didn't know where she was and she didn't even know how to get back.

Suddenly, the sheep saw a wolf, who had also seen her.

The sheep, cautiously, tried to approach and talk to him, but soon realized that this would not be possible. She learned in a few seconds that wolves were really very dangerous. She felt an enormous fear and, even though she thought it would be impossible to save herself, she turned on instinct and began to run, shouting for the help of her shepherd.

The shepherd was nearby, accompanying his beloved sheep without her knowing it. As soon as she wanted to go back and called out for him regretfully, the shepherd opened his arms and raised his staff very high. The wolf had already started running to catch the sheep, but he backed away as soon as he saw the shepherd. He lowered his head, intimidated, and disappeared into the darkness.

The shepherd then went to meet his sheep. Noticing that she was exhausted, cold and terrified, he took her in his lap with immense affection and with great joy he took her back home.

The other day, the sheep was already recovered. She felt happy and grateful. She went for a walk with the other sheep and never left her shepherd again.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com