Dirt Seekers Sought

I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured and strengthen the sick…

Ezekiel 34:15-16

The sun shines in shimmering shafts along the ridge that rises before my window over the Kenyan countryside. Lush green grass is ornamented with fire flowers and wild morning glory, while yellow, white, and purple wildflowers polkadot the edges. A man sits among the grasses along the lower track, looking upward. What does he stare at so intently?

He rises, takes a few steps, then returns to his green post and sits again. His eyes remain fixed above.

I follow his gaze to the rust-red earth that covers the embankment towering upward to thenew railway line. Then I see them.

Tottering along like puffy grey clouds are three fat sheep, climbing away from the man and toward the fragile soil that hangs precariously to the mountainside. No grass is in sight. I wonder what attracts them to the dirt.

The man suddenly rises, and now I see his staff. He lifts it and takes a few steps toward the sheep again, speaking words I cannot hear.

The fattest sheep turns his head toward the shepherd. For a moment I think he is going to turn back to safety. But his companions are too strong for him. In fact, it’s difficult to tell the difference between the three, all bumbled up in a little fluffy group, pulling each other toward the top of the dangerous hillside.

I return to my work for a bit, amused and musing.

When I look up again, the shepherd is nowhere in sight. Where has he gone? Now I’m concerned. I can see the dirty little cloud of wool teetering precariously along the edge of the railway. Suddenly the shepherd emerges from behind a tree very near them, and in his arms is one of the three. The shepherd is talking to them again, head bent toward them beseechingly. Two are less stubborn than three apparently, and one of the two turns to look at the shepherd and decides to follow him. Begrudgingly, the third follows. Down the dirt path they follow, heads set low, eyes fixed on the shepherd’s feet. The one in his arms does not resist him.

I get a cup of tea, wondering what the Lord is teaching outside my window. As I sit again and take a long steaming sip, I see the shepherd sitting once again in the lush green grass. But now one sheep is lying down, napping while the other two gobble the grass. No one seems to be interested in leaving the shepherd’s side now.

I wonder how often Jesus sits in green pastures, watching me as I insist on dirt instead of nourishment. #theLordismyshepherd Share on X

I wonder how often He stands, takes steps toward me, and calls to me, yet I keep climbing toward that which does not feed or comfort. I wonder how often He leaves the green pastures and follows me in my folly, taking me up in His arms if need be, leading me back to the life-giving place He has prepared for my soul.

How patient, how gracious, how merciful our Shepherd! We who would choose dirt, loved by such a Lord!

Lord, I am your sheep, dirty as I may be, seeking dirt some days. Thank You, sweet Shepherd, for never taking Your eye off me. For seeking me when I stray and bringing me back to green pastures where my soul may find rest and nourishment again, and again. Amen.

@audreycfrank

Photo by elizabeth lies on Unsplash