I was watching the sheep, and two little lambs got lost from
their mother. They were black lambs, and didn’t know they were
lost; but I did, and so did the mother. I stood and watched
while the old mother sheep called and called and called. But the
little black lambs didn’t answer--they didn’t know they were
lost. So I continued to watch, and directly the lambs heard
the mother calling. And there must have been something in the
mother-voice that told the lambs they were lost, for they began
bleating and crying and running about as if mad, so frightened
were they. Finally, the mother and the lambs saw each other, and
truly it was a poem of nature to see the mother leaping toward
the lambs and the lambs running toward her! It reminded me of
the meeting of that old father and the prodigal son when the boy
came back home from the far country. And do you know that meadow
scene made me turn my eyes everywhither--earthward, skyward,
spaceward! And I said, “Oh, my soul, if lambs hear and answer
the voice of their mother, wilt not thou hear and answer the
voice of thy Father? Oh, soul, lambs are not afraid when mother
is near. Why shouldst thou be afraid when thy Father is near,
and God is everywhere?” (Text.)--F. F. SHANNON.
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