The Family Circus cartoon depicted little Jeffy lying in bed counting sheep. He turns to his sister, Dolly, and declares, “I can’t sleep, Dolly, and I’ve been countin’ sheep like Billy told me to.”
Dolly, who is a bit older, comes to Jeffy’s aid. “Grandma always says forget the sheep and talk to the Shepherd.” At the end of the cartoon, we see Jeffy asleep and smiling.
Boy, does that speak volumes to humans of every age? When we can’t sleep or solve a problem and feel nothing is left to do, it is time to talk to the Shepherd. Seems so simple, so basic. So, why are we often reluctant to ask for help?
It has a bunch to do with our sinful natures. Also, our parents encouraged us to be self-reliant, strong, successful, and competent adults. “We don’t need anybody to help us fix our problems because it is up to us to mend.”
And yes, God wants us to try, but when we find ourselves stuck in a corner, we must talk to the Shepherd.
Dealing with lifelong clinical depression, I asked my doctor once when I was going through a dark period, “You don’t seem worried about me, and I feel as if I am breaking!”
He calmly answered, “Well, I learned long ago that you would never completely break.”
“Why do you believe such a thing?” I retorted.
“Because in the end, you call on God just before you reach the bottom of an abyss.” He smiled as he took my hand. “Your faith saves you and always will.”
I didn’t realize it at the time, but he was right. In the end, it’s always God who comes to my rescue.
Life is just downright fraught with sorrow, turmoil, and despair. And it can be challenging to manage when we face such tribulation. Sometimes, we can’t see how we will make it to tomorrow.
Many years ago, as an interior designer, I worked with builders to help them with their new home designs and their buyers. I decorated many models around Atlanta during those days.
A prominent Atlanta construction company hired me as an outside contractor to work with their clients when they purchased a home. Since I was independent and the developer built many houses, they provided half my yearly income.
The company failed to inform me they were building an in-house design studio and employing a decorator to staff it until the day it opened. I lost half my income in one day with two children in college, and as a single parent, I saw no solution.
I vividly recall sitting on my sofa, staring at the ceiling, uncontrollably crying, not knowing what to do. Darkness settled in the room, and as the day turned to night, I was frozen in such fear that I didn’t turn on a light.
Finally, I called on God. I prayed hard but thought even the Lord didn’t know how to fix this mess.
Two days later, a physician called to ask if I would be interested in helping his large medical group redesign their enormous facility.
My whole career changed after that. I eased my way out of working with builders and instead worked with only private clients.
By the end of the year, I earned more income than I had in the twenty-plus years prior. God, indeed, found a way to fix the mess.
Looking back on my life, I realize the Shepherd always helped me navigate my path. It is always God who turns the darkness into light.
Sometimes, we feel the Lord does not hear our prayers. Since He is the most intelligent guy on the block, we must remember He knows what He is doing.
We are tested each day with the decisions and the temptations we face. We will make mistakes, but the Savior shows us how to find solutions if only we desire His guidance.
I remind myself daily we do not live in paradise but must seek it. Our wishes will not come to fruition here but in eternity if we only trust the Shepherd’s wise ways and discernment.
In Lahaina, Maui, a woman stood among the burned ruins. All she had was gone. A reporter asked her, “How will you deal with such a monumental tragedy, and where will you go?”
With a slight smile on her ash-smudged face, she said, “God knows the answer, and He will find a way. He always does.”
The fire did not destroy her most valuable possession: her faith.
When we face seemingly impossible hurdles we alone can’t cross, it is time to talk to the Shepherd.
We will sleep better when we do.
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Lynn Walker Gendusa is a Georgia-based author and columnist. Her first book, “It’s All Write with Me! Essays from My Heart,” was published in 2018. Her latest book is “Southern Comfort: Stories of Family, Friendship, Fiery Trials, and Faith.” For more inspirational stories, click here. You may reach Lynn at www.lynngendusa.com.
