She stared. It was a long and familiar gaze. She stared, longing to be with the one that she always knew, but is only just beginning to understand. She listened in yearning as a young man, completely unfamiliar to her, spoke of a shepherd. He spoke of a shepherd that broke the legs of his wandering lamb only to have her grow comfortable in his arms. The lamb is in pain and is suffering, but she is also beginning to see a correlation between restoration and the arms of her shepherd. This shepherd remains vocal so that the lamb would begin to recognize his voice. The eyes of the lamb grow weary as the shepherd speaks her to sleep. The lamb rested peacefully with her head snug against the shepherd’s chest. Thump, thump… Thump, thump… Thump, thump… Counting her sheep, the lamb grew to know each beat of the shepherd’s heart. When the lamb awoke, she was healed, comforted by the shepherd, familiar with his voice, knowing his heart.
The young man, who the woman had forgotten about, but whose words she listened to, continued, bold in his speech, to share about the shepherd. He reached for a tattered, leather-bound book and began to read:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
She continued to stare. Tears now in her eyes, she realized that the one she always knew, but is only just beginning to understand, is this shepherd to her. She wanders, she stumbles, she falls. The Shepherd lifts her up with her broken pieces, so that she may be restored, so that she may be comfortable in His embrace, so that she may be familiar with His voice, and so that she may know the heart of her Shepherd, her Good Shepherd.
The young man’s time of speaking ended in prayer. At the sound of ‘Amen’, the woman, elderly and fragile as she was, arose from her chair and for a moment she stood silent, still staring with tears in her eyes. Her gaze was broken as those in the room shuffled for the nearest door. The woman, now weeping, slowly worked her way across the room toward the young man. As she approached him, she reach out her hand, took his, and still weeping she kissed it wetting his palm with her tears. She thanked the young man for the word that he shared then she went on her way with a new light and worshipful spirit. The words of thanks were no doubt for the young man, but he knew that this kiss, true love’s kiss, was meant not for him, but for her Shepherd, the Shepherd that she always knew, but is only just beginning to understand.
