So I love to take back road trips, driving along dirt roads in my jeep. My husband and I have explored many of the back roads of Colorado, some with a map and others without! One of these trips, we came upon this sheep. It was just standing there, minding his/her own business. We were cautious of it of course and I snapped a picture as a memento of the moment.

Additionally, I HAD to take a picture of a lone sheep!!! It was several years back but I was struggling with the idea that God was going after one sheep but what kept the 99 sheet he left behind safe? What kept them safe? What kept them from getting lost too? I spent months contemplating this and even requested the input of a few of my close spiritual friends to lend a hand in sharing their understanding.

What I learned from my quest is that the 99 left behind KNOW Jesus’ voice, they have one another to hold onto and to keep accountable; they will not stray. The one Jesus goes after is lost and afraid. AND THOUGH, any one of the 99 could become the one whom Jesus goes after, for that specific moment in time, the one is in the greatest need of Jesus’ love, attention and direction.

You see, when you have experienced the grace and mercy of God in the greatest form, you want to stay there and rest in the glorious presence. No person would ever want to stray from the feeling you feel when you know you are loved and the beloved of God. This feeling is what keeps the 99 from going anywhere.

So when I read this scripture, I am of course excited about how God chose a little shepherd boy, David, to be the King of Israel. He did this because God knows what it means to be a shepherd and to care for his flock. He knows the type of person is needed to take care of the sheep, to provide for them and to go after them if they lose their way!

When David was chosen, he was a young boy. He was the one who faced the giant, Goliath and he wrote beautiful letters to God, known as the psalms. He was anointed KING because God knew David was a shepherd at heart. Of course, David wasn’t perfect; he sinned like the rest of us but he was chosen by God to do great things.

We cannot forget that each of us were also chosen at a young age to do some really big things with our lives. God has anointed YOU and ME too!