The Lost Sheep

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

~Luke 15: 4-7
 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
~John 10:10-15

These are the words I was sent on a mission trip to speak to children through a series of day camps at various churches in Swaziland, Africa.

When I first read the story of the Good Shepherd in preparation for the trip, it didn’t affect me in any way other than that I thought that the story was perfect. Many of the children in Swaziland are herd boys and girls themselves. As you drive along the roads, you can see children up on the tall, green hills of Swaziland watching over a herd of cattle. The story of the Good Shepherd seemed to be a story to which the children could really relate. However, this is where my thinking stopped. I had no idea that this story would bring itself to life in the faces of the Swaziland children; I did not suspect that God would bring it to life in my own heart.

At each day before we started the program, we would have a time of free play with the children. During this time, I would slip away from the group, and hide a stuffed animal sheep somewhere on the premises. Then, I would appear back to the group of playing children with an African skirt draped my head, pretending to be a shepherd. I would say, “Hello everyone! I am a shepherd, and I have many sheep. But, one of my sheep has run away from me and gotten lost.  I love my sheep. I care about my sheep. I would do anything to find my sheep! Will you help me find my sheep?” The children would then agree to help me, and we would walk around the area looking for my little lost stuffed animal sheep.

On one such morning, I hid the sheep near a path. I went through the drill, dressing as the Good Shepherd and telling the children about my lost sheep. Then, we all went looking for the sheep.

I came to the spot where I had hidden the sheep and…it wasn’t there. I was stunned for a few seconds. I found Magi Twala, our translator, and said, “The sheep is gone!!” She blinked at me a few times like, “What are you talking about? Of course the sheep is gone! It’s ‘lost’ isn’t it? ” She seemed to be debating whether or not I wanted her to translate what I said for the kids or if I was talking to her specifically.

Of course by now the children were looking confused, and many were still running around yelling “Sheep! Sheep!” I knew that they weren’t going to find it. What was I going to do now?  I was thinking, “Oh great. The Good Shepherd is supposed to find the sheep. What if we can’t find it? How do I explain this theologically?”

When the children found out what had happened, they mobilized with their incredible African initiative. One quick thinking little boy acted first and struck off down the path to find the people who might have taken the sheep and ask for it back.

In the meantime, I was a little panicked. I was desperately asking God how I should go about explaining the lost sheep that might never be found. I attempted to make some still relevant lesson out of it like, “Well, God knows where the lost sheep is…” but I was floundering.

Suddenly there was a commotion as the children started chattering excitedly in siSwati. I turned, and emerging out of the bushes and mounting the top of the hill came the little boy with a big white grin on his face grasping the wayward stuffed sheep! All the children broke into cheering and clapping. My happiness upon seeing that sheep in that little boy’s arms was not feigned.

Later that day, as I rested in my room thinking over the day, I thought back to that little beaming boy stepping through the bushes with the lost sheep. No simulated “sheep hunt” could have compared with how this little adventure had affected me. I thought over our Scripture for the camps and realized that this was indeed the perfect story for these children. It presented the story of salvation, and taught the children about a God who loves them so much that when they are lost, He leaves all the other sheep to go and look for them until He finds them! When He does, He rejoices and carries them home in His arms. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gives His life up for His precious sheep! This is the amazing love of our God, who though we are low and sinful and powerless, watches over us with love, and guides us with patience and faithfulness. I love this story because it says so much about the character of God.

In addition, it has reaffirmed God’s love in my own life. When I am steeped in thorns and snares, entangled in my own wayward sinfulness, when I cry out to seemingly deaf ears, when I cry out to my Shepherd that I am lost, there is nothing more wonderful than to hear His voice calling out my name as I feel the vibration of His footsteps drawing nearer. I answer Him saying, “Here I am, Lord. Come find me!” Then, I look up I see the smile of my Father. He reaches down to me with loving arms and carries me home to safety.

It doesn’t matter what we have done, how far we have strayed, or how lost we are, God can always find us. Though the thief comes to kill and destroy, God comes to us that we might have the fullest abundance of life when we stay close to Him and live in obedience to Him.

It was while I was ministering to God’s precious lambs in Swaziland that God revealed His love again to me. I came to show God’s love to His children, and rediscovered it for myself.  For me, Jesus’ love will forevermore be in the big white smile of a boy emerging over a hill clutching a small, white sheep.

Miriam Selph, an MK from Africa on mission in Swaziland

Click here to go to another story of ministry in Swaziland