One warm day, the sheep lay down in a comfortable hollow in the ground. She dozed off as the rays of sun warmed her fleece.
Suddenly, she felt herself rolling over. She flailed her legs, but she still tipped onto her back. The hollow in the ground held her in place, and her fleece weighed her down. She kicked her legs and wiggled, but she couldn’t get off her back. She was a cast down sheep. No sheep wanted to be cast down. They couldn’t roll off their back when they were stuck like that.
She stuck her legs in the air and tried to breathe. Her legs were already going numb. She tried to move them, but she couldn’t.
Her eyes closed. Gold spots burst in front of her eyes.
She heard footsteps. She forced her eyes open. Her Shepherd stood over her. With strong arms, he picked her up and set her on her feet. Her knees buckled, but he held her up. With gentle fingers, he rubbed her legs until feeling was restored.
When she could walk, the Shepherd led her back to the rest of the sheep. She skipped back to her friends, safe once again.
Questions to think about:
- Read Psalm 42:5-6 and Psalm 43:5 by yourself or with your parents. The phrase “cast down” is a phrase that is used to describe a sheep that is stuck on its back. What does it mean when the Bible says that our soul is “cast down”?
- Read Psalm 23 by yourself or with your parents. The word restored, when talking about sheep, refers to a shepherd’s placing a sheep on its feet and helping it walk. What does it mean when God restores our soul?