In the cool of an overcast July morning, Mother and Sally hurried to pick all the raspberries before the sun broke through and it turned hot. Sally seemed to be less eager than Mother about picking, although she loved the plump, juicy raspberries. “Mother,” Sally said laughing, “there you go again! I really think you would stand on your head to catch one silly raspberry before it drops. See, your scarf is caught on the bush, and now you’ve scratched your arm! Why do you worry about one raspberry dropping when there are so many? I don’t think we’ll ever finish picking them. What is one raspberry more or less when there are so many?”
Loosening her scarf and glancing at the scratch on her arm, Mother smiled a little sheepishly. “You know, I’ve wondered that myself sometimes, but it seems a shame for a beautiful juicy berry to lie in the dirt and rot. I just can’t let them fall.”
“Huh, it doesn’t bother me” was Sally’s response.
Mother’s thoughts took a serious turn, and after a few minutes she asked, “Sally, what if the Lord had felt that way about you and me? I’m glad it wasn’t too much trouble for Him to concern Himself about silly Sally and stubborn Mother who showed no desire to do anything but go on in their own sinful ways. He didn’t say, ‘Why bother with them when there are many other people who might be less trouble to Me?’ Like the wonderful Shepherd He is, our Saviour went out, searched for, and found the lost sheep!”
Sally could see her mother’s point. She repeated the Bible verse, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.” John 10:1111I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:11). Then she said, “I’m sure glad He found me, and He won’t ever throw us out. You throw out any raspberries that have dried-up or bad spots on them, but the Lord doesn’t. He really cared about the people who had problems, like those who were poor, blind and sick.”
Have you met the seeking Saviour, that Good Shepherd who wants to carry you home to heaven on His shoulders?
ML-07/17/1994