On the upside ...

[mourningdove~]

(I read this wise, beautiful quote on Facebook today. There so very often is an 'upside' to things.)

Jackie Chan responded to a journalist's question about whether he was satisfied with his life with these wise words:

"You know, I once heard some very wise words:
Your hard work is the dream of every unemployed person;
Your restless child is the dream of every childless person;
Your small home is the dream of every homeless person;
Your meager capital is the dream of every debtor;
Your ill health is the dream of every patient with an incurable disease;
Your peace, your sound sleep, your accessible food are the dream of every person in a country at war.
You must cherish everything you have. After all, no one knows what tomorrow will bring."

 

[mourningdove~]

 

[mourningdove~]

 

[mourningdove~]

(I didn't write this; I don't know who did; but I think it is beautiful ... )

Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.

These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Their spirit is broken. These lambs are called “bummer lambs.”

Unless the shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the shepherd does? He takes that rejected little one into his home, hand-feeds it and keeps it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to his chest so the bummer can hear his heartbeat.

Once the lamb is strong enough, the shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock. But that sheep never forgets how the shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him.

When the shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to him first? That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows his voice intimately. It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the one who loves it.

So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heart beat. We may be broken but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd.

 

[mourningdove~]