One dark, rainy day, the littlest sheep fell amongst some rocks and broke its leg. It wailed for the Shepherd. The Shepherd gently picked him up from the rocks. He carried the littlest sheep back to the stable and laid it on a bed of straw. There, he tenderly bound the littlest sheep’s leg.
The littlest sheep cried. He didn’t understand why the Shepherd didn’t heal him and take all his pain away. With this broken leg, he wouldn’t be able to run around with the other sheep. He would be stuck in the stable until he was healed.
The Shepherd didn’t heal him, but the littlest sheep did not lack for anything. Each day, the Shepherd brought him bundles of green grass to eat and a bucket of fresh water to drink. The Shepherd changed his bandage and made sure the straw of his bed was always clean and comfortable. When the littlest sheep cried at night in pain, the Shepherd held him in his arms and soothed him back to sleep.
Finally, the Shepherd unwrapped the bandage and declared the leg of the littlest sheep healed. The littlest sheep leapt into the air and bounded over to the rest of the sheep out in the pasture.
But even as he played with the other sheep, the littlest sheep never forgot the loving care he’d received from the Shepherd.
Questions to think about:
- Read Psalm 23 by yourself or with your parents. What does it mean that we shall not want? Does this mean that we will never have problems?
- How does Jesus care for you?