A good shepherd
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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‘He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom’ (Isaiah 40:11).
My dad was a sheep farmer. One of my favourite photos is a view of him walking along, emptying a bag of wheat for a flock of sheep with the sheep lined up behind him eating the grain.
Dad loved his sheep – he loved all animals. He couldn’t bear to see them suffer, be it from footrot or a careless shearer inflicting too many cuts on an animal. It was fun to drive around the farm with him in the ute as he checked on his flock. He would pick up the motherless lambs or the ailing sheep to bring them home so that we could care for them.
Dad’s arms were big and strong. For me, he represented strength, safety and comfort. It is my dad I see in the picture when I read these verses from Isaiah – Dad in his sweat-stained hat with a hand-rolled cigarette hanging off his bottom lip.
I am blessed to have had a good and loving father – a strong man who had the softest heart! Under his big booming voice and large physical presence, he had a heart made of marshmallows. He would help those in need without letting on to anyone else what he was doing. He had the gift of generosity, which oozed out of him whenever someone needed his help.
Now, I know that not everyone is blessed to have had a good and kind father as I did, but all of us are blessed with a Father in heaven who is good, kind and just. He is a Father who gives us comfort and cares for us like a faithful shepherd caring for a flock of sheep. And just like my dad knew where to find his sheep, God knows where to find you so that he can pick you up and carry you to a place of safety.
Good Shepherd, help us to let you pick us up and carry us to the place of safety you have prepared for us. Please help us to trust that you will look after us even when we feel as though we are in a wilderness. Amen.
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