Theme: Learning by example
The stray sheep
(Part
2)
When the sheep Tita was brought back home, the other
sheep went to receive their companion with affection.
Tita's arrival brought relief to all,
who had been very distressed by her decision to venture
away from the shepherd and the flock. Now the sheep saw
Tita coming back, exhausted, cold and regretful, but
alive and safe.
But there was a sheep named Lola who
was not happy. She had the same ideas for some time as
Tita. She thought about breaking free from the usual
routine and having new experiences. Even hearing about
the dangers she might encounter, that insistent thought
never left her head.
The day before, when Tita strayed
from the herd, Lola was even happy. It seemed that this
was a signal for her to do the same. Lola was even more
inclined to follow her lead soon.
The night passed. The sheep rested
and the next morning they began to talk. They wanted to
know what had happened to Tita.
She told her colleagues that it was
nothing like she expected. She said she felt lonely,
lost and scared.
– And the wolves? Did you find any?
– Yes, I saw one up close. And the
only reason I wasn't eaten by him was because the pastor
saved me - Tita replied, her head down, still frightened
by the event.
The sheep wanted to talk more about
it, but the shepherd had already arrived to take them
for the daily walk. They were on their way and
everything seemed at peace again.
But Lola still persisted on the same
ideas. Even though she heard Tita's story, something was
telling her that it could be different with her. She
would be better at getting close to the wolves. She
would be braver than Tita to face the darkness and find
new paths.
At one point during the tour, Lola
decided the time had come. She started walking in other
direction, away from the herd. As he had done with Tita
the day before, the pastor went after Lola, called her
and showed her the way. But the sheep didn't want to
come back.
Once again, the herd was disturbed.
All were distressed, regretting what was happening. They
watched Lola walking away helplessly.
It was then that a sheep ran towards
her friend. It was Tita, who was screaming desperately:
– Lola, please don't do this! You are
looking for a suffering that you have no idea about. If
I gave you this bad example, I ask for forgiveness. I
was very sorry and I don't want you or anyone else to go
through what I went through.
Lola heard Tita's screams but kept
walking. She had taken a while to make that decision and
didn't want to give it up so easily.
Tita then returned to the flock and
shepherd. Saddened, they all prayed inwardly that Lola
would return safe and sound.
Lola went one way, the herd the
other, until they could see no more each other.
The sheep looked in all directions
and saw only the landscape. She heard a wolf howling in
the distance. Sometimes the sheep heard wolves, but with
the shepherd who protected them, there was nothing to
fear.
But now Lola was alone. She felt a
chill and a bad feeling. In a second, all her courage
was gone. Tita's pleas came back to her mind. She
imagined what she would look like when darkness came and
thought:
- My God! What am I doing here? I
need to get back as soon as possible!
Lola then turned and started to run.
She hadn't walked for a long time. She could no longer
see the herd, but it was still daylight and she could
find her way back.
Lola ran and screamed for the pastor,
who soon heard her and went to meet her too.
Before long, Lola was reunited with
the herd. She was received with affection and joy. Tita
gave her a big hug. Lola was scared, but soon recovered
with the affectionate words of her friends.
Remembering Tita's advice, Lola
managed to avoid the worst and returned to living in
peace and happiness.
That's how Tita's experience served
not only as a teaching for herself, but also to help
Lola not make the same mistake.
This is how God takes the good out of
evil. That's how bad things that happen can serve as
valuable lessons for all of us.
Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com
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