Morning
Thought 4 Thursday April 27th 2017 (Shepherd picture)
Over
the years of running the charity Mustard Seed Jersey, I have received many,
many gifts from beneficiaries in Eastern Europe. Many I have discreetly given
to others, but there are some that I have kept. And one of those is a tapestry
picture on my sitting-room wall.
It
depicts the scene of a field with a shepherd carrying a lamb in one arm and
holding his shepherds crook in his other hand with other sheep and lambs all around.
If I look at it critically it probably isn’t that good, but it is precious to
me, because of who gave it to me.
17
years ago Mustard Seed was very involved in assisting young women who had been
brought up in the Romanian state orphanage system. We helped them with education
and life skills once they left there at the age of 18. We invested time &
money so they could become independent and self supporting. We found they
needed help for a number of years, as life in an institution had NOT prepared them
for life outside.
With
the help of a social worker, one such group of girls worked together on this
tapestry to give to me as an expression of their gratitude. As they stitched I
have no doubt the social worker reminded them of the Bible passage about Jesus
the Good Shepherd who searched for the one lost sheep. I am sure she emphasised
to the girls that Jesus cares for each and every person, including those
brought up in an orphanage.
Let
me read you some words of Jesus from St John’s Gospel:
“I
am the Good Shepherd. I know My own sheep and they know Me. And I lay down My
life for the sheep”.
As
I see the picture on my wall, I remember the girls who stitched this tapestry
and I think of the message of the picture of Jesus the Good Shepherd. To me the
picture is precious.