This is a true story that happened to my husband when he was a little boy. I'm going to tell it from his perspective as if he was telling it to a child.
My name is Brent, and I am a Grandpa. This is a true story from when I was a little boy living in south Texas near the border of Mexico.
My Dad was a missionary and he had the coolest truck. It had a topper so that he could sleep in the back, kind of like camping. The really cool part is that he built a hidden compartment within the truck bed, under the topper. I helped him load this hidden compartment with Bibles that he would smuggle into Mexico and give to people. During his 3 or 4-week trips, he would tell everyone how much Jesus loves them. The trips could be easy, or hard and dangerous. When he got back home, he told me lots of stories about his adventures.
The problem with all this was that he never let me go with him. One particular day, I felt sad because I knew he was leaving the next day.
"Dad, can I please go with you this time? I am 10 years old. I'm big enough to stay out of trouble and take care of myself."
My Dad, while sadly shaking his head, explained, "It's too dangerous, Brent. I love you and want you to be safe."
The next morning Dad called for me, "Brent, your Mom and I have prayed and talked it over. We decided that you can go with me. Hurry, go get ready! We need to leave immediately".
Excitement swelled inside me! I'll never forget that feeling of pure joy as I ran to my room and threw my clothes in a bag.
I could tell you many things about the trip, but I really want to tell you about a very special afternoon. My Dad told me that he needed to study and pray because he would be speaking to a group of people that night. He asked me to play and keep out of trouble.
At first, it was okay, but I got bored pretty quickly. I walked around looking for something to do. In the distance, I noticed a tree so I decided I would climb it. When I got there, I found there was a small river running beside the tree. Now there was plenty to do! Before I could even decide what to do first, a voice called out to me, "Little boy…". I turned and saw an old shepherd with some sheep. He talked to me about his sheep. I could tell that he really loved them. He let me pet the sheep and play with the lambs. He taught me how to skip stones on the water. He spent the whole afternoon with me.
"Don't you need to get back to your father?" the old shepherd finally asked me.
I realized that it was late and that Dad was probably worried. I said, "I need to go!" and started running in the direction that I had come from. As I ran, I turned to wave "goodbye", but when I did the old shepherd was gone. Just gone!
My Dad was just about to go looking for me. He asked where I had been and what I had been doing. I told him about the old shepherd. Dad was amazed that the shepherd spoke English. Dad wanted to meet him and talk to him about Jesus. We went looking for the shepherd, but we found no trace of him or the sheep anywhere.
That night my Dad spoke to the people and told them about the Good Shepherd that loves the sheep and takes care of them. He said the Good Shepherd is Jesus and that people are the sheep. Many people gave their hearts to Jesus.
Now, as an old man, I realized that Jesus (or maybe an angel) spent all afternoon with me so that my Dad could pray for people to hear about the Good Shepherd. That's how much God loves people — enough that He assigned an angel to entertain a little boy all afternoon. I realized that's how much God loves me — enough that He assigned an angel to keep me safe all afternoon.
God loves you too! Maybe He didn't send an angel to entertain you all afternoon, but He did send His own Son, Jesus, to save you. We celebrate His birth every year at Christmas.
Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for leaving Your Father in Heaven and coming to live on the earth so that I could someday live in Heaven with You. I love you, Jesus!! Happy Birthday!
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