The Sheep Carried Home with Joy
My dear son,
The shepherd searched until he found the lost sheep, then carried it home on his shoulders with joy. Jesus said heaven rejoices like that when one person returns to me. I am a Father who welcomes your return.
If you recognize that you have taken a wrong turn, do not keep wandering farther to hide it. Tell me, and turn around. We can address what needs correcting one thing at a time. Your steps toward home matter deeply to me.
Begin this day beside me. When you see someone else making a new beginning, share their joy too. Like the shepherd with his recovered sheep, I delight in one person's return.
With all my love,
Your Father
Luke 15:4–7
WEB4“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?
5When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
7I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
A short reflection
Through the shepherd who joyfully carries a lost sheep home, Jesus describes heaven's great joy over one sinner who repents.
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