I have a good friend named Nathan. I've been thinking about him a lot lately. I miss him. He committed suicide two years ago. He was always the one to give you a hug, look you in the eye and truly ask you how you were doing. Everyone who was lucky enough to know him loved him. He truly cared for others. What was so hard for a lot of us to see was that he was truly hurting, and hurting alone.
I often think of him and wonder how his life could have been. He would have been an outstanding husband and father....or well, anything. Why did he end his life? It makes me wonder if he often felt like the 'lost sheep'.
In Luke 15, Christ is teaching to publicans and sinners about the lost sheep. In this parable, Christ is likening the lost sheep unto a sinner that returns to the fold. I think that this also applies to bringing those who feel lost, unloved, or unwelcome back to the fold. These individuals are often hidden. They are those who are the "wallflowers" that shy away from interaction, the "invisibles" that seem to evade our efforts to find them, and even those that are "in the fold, but not felt to be of the fold". Of these three, I believe Nathan felt like the third example.
Nathan was often surrounded by friends and was involved in church and social activities. Was he interacting with others? Yes. Did he smile, laugh, and tell jokes without hesitation? Most definitely. Did he appear to fit in? Absolutely. What was it that made him feel so lost?
I think we all feel lost at one point or another. We're the 'new guy' at the office, the family that is running by the seat of our pants, and the mom who's too busy to be at social activities. We're the person who plans everything but doesn't feel like a part of it, we're everyone's friend, but no one's close friend. In short, we are everyone.
Becoming the lost sheep can be a fast or slow experience. Not being invited to an activity, suffering a loss with no recognition by friends, and sitting alone in the back of a church meeting are all ways that the process of feeling alone can start. While it is important that we choose not to get offended, it is still easy to feel hurt, forgotten, or unloved. What happens if those few and far between occurrences become the norm in our lives? What if we start to feel crippled by our feelings of loneliness and feeling lost? That is when we become the lost sheep.
Why should we be concerned if others (including ourselves) are becoming the 'lost sheep'? Because it is a slippery slope from there. Without being able to hear our Shepherd's voice, we can easily get lost and lose our way in the wilderness where danger and wolves beckon. Our true Shepherd is always there. The hard part is staying close so we can hear his call. Sin, pain, stress, tribulations, distractions and feelings of loneliness keep us from hearing His voice. He is calling. We just have to choose to hear Him and follow. That's why we don't want to have our ears deafened when we are lost. We need our Shepherd. We need our flock.
So....what can we do as the flock to help the lost sheep to hear the Shepherd? We need to extend his love, forgiveness and kindness to all. We need to reach out to ALL of His sheep...even if they seem like they don't need it. Camilla Kimball, wife of President Spencer W. Kimball, once said to, "never suppress a generous thought." If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hi. If you have extra food leftover from your dinner, bring it to the family that just had a baby. If you have a few moments, call your sibling you haven't talk to in a while. Every generous thought and deed goes a long way for you, the lost one, and the Shepherd. Christ teaches us that bringing the lost sheep back unto the Shepherd will bring,"likewise joy...in heaven." Joy in heaven? The happiest place we know of-heaven-will experience joy? That sounds like one amazing feeling. I want to have that, don't you?
Bringing joy, love and warmth into someone's life who needs it can do wonders. I wonder what would have happened if someone would have called my friend Nathan in his darkest hour. Would he still be here? What if we knocked on our friend's door at their unbeknownst darkest hour? Satan is real, and he can make us feel darker and more alone than we can imagine. On the other hand, Christ can make us feel more happy and loved than we can imagine. He rejoices when we return to Him, and we can become our best selves through Him.
The world needs more Nathans. The world needs more Sarahs. The world needs more Georges. The world needs more Penelopes. The world needs you. Our Shepherd needs you. We must all choose to hear His voice-both as a lost sheep and as part of the flock. Reach out to Him. Reach out to others. That is the way to eternal life and happiness.
"And when he hath found it (us), he layeth it (us) on his shoulders, rejoicing."
*Clinical depression and suicidal thoughts should be acknowledged and referred to a licensed professional. Depression and suicide should not be fought alone.
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