That’s my Master!!! - Part 1

Hi I am Sheeda. I live near the still waters behind the hills. I love playing with my Shepherd, who always carries me in His caring shoulders. I also love to play with my friends. We are a team of 100. We always be together as our Shepherd suggested so. Now, I like to share a wonderful incident that happened in my life.It was a rainy day (I will never forget this day in my life). Everything went on well that day. I walked behind my Shepherd. He gave me grass to eat, water to drink, place to rest. He guided me with His rod and staff. I am absolutely fearless and joyful when my Shepherd is with me. In the evening, when the sun goes down, Shepherd led us back to our home. On the way to home, I saw beautiful flowers with penchant aroma. I called one of my friends and amazed about the beauty and fragrance of the flowers. Suddenly my amazement was distorted by a voice “Sheeda! My Beloved! Come here. Be close to me”. Oh that’s my Master Shepherd. He is waiting for me to carry on. I think He is very angry with me because I delayed. His eyes were full of rage. I don’t want to mess with Him in this mood so I leaped towards Him and joined Him but in my heart I was annoyed with the way my Shepherd disallowed me to enjoy the flowers. So I decided to slowdown a bit and now I become the last person in my team walking very slowly. Now, I can clearly see the flower bed in the slope. Wow! What a wonderful portrait of nature! The aroma was sweet as honey. I now even started rebuking the Shepherd for stopping me from enjoying this beautiful thing on earth. The beauty of the hill was so great it doesn’t let me move. So I stopped and enjoyed the wonderful flowers. Now, I thought to go near the flowers and play. So I moved forward. Oh what a pleasure it was! Every step I made gave me great Pleasure! Pleasure! Meanwhile my Master and my team crossed over the brook. I can’t see my Master or my team now. I thought it was time to leave the flower bed as it is getting darker and darker. So I started to move quickly. Since it was raining, the hill had become very slippery. After a couple of steps, my foot slipped. Oh No! I was slipping down the hill. I felt I was dead at that moment. After a few anxious moments, I was stopped by something. I was bit relieved now but that didn't last long. I was caught by the thorn bushes under the flowers. There were huge bushes hiding beneath the flowers. My legs were held by the rusty thorns and they started sucking my blood. I tried to deliver myself from the thorn. It pained a hell. It was completely dark and it started raining heavily. I started rebuking myself for not being close with the Shepherd. As I groaned in pain, I saw a man who worked in my Master’s farm passing by the way. I felt heaven is back. With all my strength shouted to him. He stopped by my voice and asked, “Who is this?” I said “it’s me Sheeda”. “Sheeda? What are doing here? You should be with the Shepherd,” he replied. “It’s paining, please take me out” I cried. He said “It’s heavily raining. If I come there, I too would be caught in the thorn. So I will go and send the workers in the farm; till that please hold on, Sheeda.” The reply almost killed me. “I am bleeding here” I shouted back. He was not there to listen to me. He was running to save himself from the furious thunder. I really don’t know what to do now. The pain is getting worse every moment. Suddenly a screeching voice shook me up. ”Hey, you betrayer!” “Who was that,” I replied in fear. I thought it was my Master. Yes! It should be Him because I have betrayed Him. The voice again shouted “Hey, you! an unlawful and indiscipline Sheeda. You deserve to die in the thorns” Suddenly voice stopped and a dark element appeared on the top of the hill. I realized the voice was from the dark element. There is something written on the dark element. With the help of the moonlight, I was able to read it. “Mr. Shadow of Death”. I was benumbed reading it. I trembled and closed my eyes in fear. The “Shadow of Death” spoke again “You are not loyal to Your Master Shepherd. You can’t be in his team again. You have no second chance. Your Master is angry with you” and on and on. Every statement made about me by the “Shadow of Death” pierced my heart. It was painful than these piercing thorns. I felt ashamed and guilty that I was not truthful to my Master. I lost my hope and prepared to die at that moment, because I thought my Master was unhappy and ready to punish me.

Continued in Part 2...

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That’s my Master!!! - Part 2

Continued from Part 1...
At this moment, I can see a ray of light near the slope. Someone holding a rod and lantern light was searching for something. The person kept on shouting something. As the person with lantern came closer and closer the light was getting brighter and brighter and the voice was getting louder and louder. Wait a moment. I have already heard this voice somewhere but I cannot recognize the person. Now, I can clearly hear the voice of the person with the lantern “Sheeda! My Beloved! Where are you?” Oh heaven! Oh earth! That’s my Master!!! It’s Him. Yes it’s Him. Wait a minute, did he call me “Beloved”?. Am I not a ‘betrayer or unlawful or undisciplined’? I looked up to see ‘Mr. Shadow of Death’. He was running as fast as he can to protect himself from the light of my Master Shepherd. The voice of my Master drew my attention towards him. “Sheeda! My Beloved! Where are you?” He was repeating the sentence again and again. I can now clearly see His face. Oh how desperate He is looking for me. I saw His eyes. There is no anger! No rage! It was fully filled will love and compassion. Now, as a deer longs for water, with all of my heart and strength I shouted “Master”. Hearing me, He stood still and lifted the lantern up. I can see the joy in His face after seeing me. In that moment he did a thing that I never expected from Him. He kept the rod and lantern aside and ran towards me. What an amazing love he has for me. By the time he reached me, he was bleeding. The thorns that pierced me pierced him too. But he was happy that he found me. He lifted me and removed all the thorns. I said “I am sorry. I didn’t listen to you”. He smiled and laid me on His shoulders and took me to His house and nursed my wounds. I was expecting Him to express His unhappiness about my betrayal. All the way long to Home, He never said anything like that. Instead He poured the oil and the wine into my wounds and tied them with bandages. He asked me to take rest. I asked him “Do you love me even now the same way you loved me a day before?” He smiled and said “I am the Good Shepherd. I came to give you life. I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.” “Can I be in your team again?” I asked again. He laughed and said “You are always with me because I chose you to be”. I can see the joy and satisfaction in His face. The joy in His face reflected in my heart. That joy I felt was the greatest thing I have ever had in my life. The beautiful and aromatic flowers are no were close to this joy. Now, my Master Shepherd went out and called His neighbors for a party. They asked him “What is the party for?” He said “I found my Beloved Sheeda again”. On hearing this, my eyes were filled with tears of joy and ecstasy. I shouted in joy “There is no one like Thee. There is nothing like Thy love”. He came in and put me in His shoulders and started to celebrate the party. I started to sing with joy “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” It was joy all over the village thereafter.

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