Introduction: A Story of Love and Trust
I recently read a story in Brennan Manning’s The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus that deeply resonated with me. It’s about a father’s love for his children and how he meets them in their moments of greatest need. This story and my recent injury taught me profound lessons about God’s love, trust, and the Good Shepherd’s relentless pursuit of His sheep.
A Father’s Love: The One Who Needs Him Most
The story is of a professor who was an old Dutchman at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Here is the story he told:
“I’m one of thirteen children. One day when I was playing in the street of our hometown in Holland, I got thirsty and came into the pantry of our house for a glass of water. It was around noon and my father had just come home from work to have lunch. He was sitting at the kitchen table having a glass of beer with a neighbor. A door separated the kitchen from the pantry and my father didn’t know I was there. The neighbor said to my father, ‘Joe, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time, but if it’s too personal, just forget I ever asked.’
‘What’s your question?’
‘Well, you have thirteen children. Out of all of them, is there one that is your favorite, one you love more than all the others?’”
The professor continued his story: “I had my ear pressed against the door, hoping against hope it would be me. ‘That’s easy,’ my father said. ‘Sure, there’s one I love more than all the others. That’s Mary, the twelve-year-old. She just got braces on her teeth and feels so awkward and embarrassed that she won’t go out of the house anymore.
Oh, but you asked about my favorite. That’s my twenty-three-year-old, Peter. His fiancée just broke their engagement, and he is desolate. But the one I really love the most is little Michael. He’s totally uncoordinated and terrible in any sport he tries to play. The other kids on the street make fun of him. But, of course, the apple of my eye is Susan. Only twenty-four, living in her own apartment and developing a drinking problem. I cry for Susan. But I guess of all my kids…’ and my father went on mentioning each of his thirteen children by name.”
The professor ended his story, saying: “What I learned was that the one my father loved most was the one who needed him most at that time. And that’s the way the Father of Jesus is: He loves the most, those who rely on Him, depend upon Him and trust Him in everything. Little He cares whether you’ve been pure as St. John or as sinful as the prostitute in Simon the Pharisee’s house. All that matters is trust. It seems to me that learning how to trust God defines the meaning of Christian living. God doesn’t wait until we have our moral life in order before He starts loving us” (p.28).
An Unexpected Lesson: My Torn Achilles in Colombia
I was recently on vacation with my family in Colombia over Christmas. We had been planning the trip for almost six months. We felt that God had a special mission or purpose for the trip and were prayerfully looking forward to seeing what God had in store. On the second day of vacation, I injured myself… pretty bad. I had been playing in the park with my kids. We found a hill that looked good for running up and a slide at the top that looked good for sliding down. There were different grades of steepness on the hill. We started on the easiest grade and made our way up. Finally, we found an extremely steep side of the hill, but it was off-limits. The stage was set for impending doom… Or something like that.
Going Against Good Judgment
Against my sound judgment, I decided I would try to run up the steep side of the hill, grab the railing at the very top, jump over the railing (Jason Bourne style), and sail down the slide. I tried a couple of times to run up the hill, but I couldn’t quite reach the top. Then, in a last-ditch attempt, I gave it my FULL EFFORT! I gave myself enough space to take a really good run at it. I took off in a full sprint, determined to reach the top at all costs to impress my two sons, who were watching eagerly. They are still at the age where they think their dad can do anything.
Running at full speed, I reached the base of the hill and planted my right foot firmly on the first portion of the incline… I heard a loud POP and felt like I had been whacked in the back of my leg with an axe. A shooting pain went up my leg, from my heel to the back of my knee. I instantly crumbled to the ground in pain and felt a radiating heat coming from my leg. I didn’t know what happened at first… but I later found out from the doctor that I had torn my Achilles tendon 90% of the way through. This was part of my mission in Colombia… and I would need to trust God.
(Below is a picture of the actual hill. You can’t see the steep side on the other side of the hill. Looks pretty intense, though, right?! Haha!)
The Lion and the Lamb: Relentless Pursuit
During my recovery, I have reflected on another passage from Manning’s book:
“The Lion of Judah, in His present risenness, pursues, tracks and stalks us here and now. When we cry out with Jeremiah, ‘Enough already! Leave me alone in my melancholy,’ the Shepherd replies, ‘I will not leave you alone. You are Mine. I know each of My sheep by name. You belong to Me.
If you think I am finished with you, if you think I am a small god that you can keep at a safe distance, I will pounce upon you like a roaring lion, tear you to pieces, rip you to shreds and break every bone in your body. Then I will mend you, cradle you in My arms and kiss you tenderly. The Lion and the Shepherd are one and the same.
Ferocious pursuit and unwavering compassion are dual facts of the tremendous Lover who knows not only what hurts us but also how to heal us” (p.148).
This duality of God’s love—ferocious in pursuit and tender in healing—reminded me that He was drawing me closer, even in my brokenness. My injury was not a punishment but an invitation to slow down (once again… I’m starting to see the theme) and trust.
The Shepherd’s Care: Breaking to Heal
During my injured time in Colombia, which kept me laid up for most of my vacation, I was reminded of another story about a Shepherd and a sheep I heard years ago.
“A foreigner was travelling in Syria who became acquainted with a shepherd. Each morning, he noticed the shepherd taking food to a sheep that had a broken leg. As he looked at the animal, he asked the shepherd, “How did the sheep break its leg? Did it meet with an accident, fall into a hole, or did some animal break its leg?”
“No,” said the shepherd, “I broke this sheep’s leg myself.”
“You broke it yourself?” queried the surprised traveller.
“Yes, you see, this is a wayward sheep; it would not stay with the flock… Then it would not let me near it so I had to break the sheep’s leg so that it would allow me, day by day to feed it. In doing this it will get to know me as its shepherd, trust me as its guide, and keep with the flock.”
The Good Shepherd Pursues Us
Though the story isn’t biblical, it illustrates the depth of care a shepherd has for his flock. Similarly, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, pursues us when we stray. He carries us back, not with anger, but with rejoicing.
In Luke 15:4-6, Jesus says, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”
While I don’t believe Jesus caused my injury, I do think He allowed it for a purpose—a redeeming purpose that will begin to be revealed over my healing journey. Like the wayward sheep, I was invited to trust Him more deeply.
Slowing Down: Trusting the Good Shepherd
I love Dallas Willard’s famous advice: “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” By tearing my Achilles, I have had to slow down—way down. Remember, true love is never in a hurry. I know that the Good Shepherd has good things in store for me. I know He is close in my brokenness, weakness, and neediness. In my weakness, He is strong.
1 Peter 5:10, says:
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
After a season of trials and difficulties, God’s restoration and strength will come. I believe that by experiencing an injury and being forced to slow down and unhurry my life, God’s plan and purposes will go forth in greater measure.
Call to Action: Trusting God in Your Brokenness
What areas of your life feel broken or out of control? Where is God inviting you to slow down and trust Him?
Take time today to reflect on His relentless love and care of the Good Shepherd in your life. Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send this post to someone who needs encouragement. Together, let’s learn to rest in the arms of the Good Shepherd.
Leave a Reply