One Wednesday night, as a 15 year-old, I decided that I wasn’t going to go to my young men’s activity. I’m not quite sure why my parents didn’t make me go, but they didn’t. So I was at home doing homework when the doorbell rang.
When I went to the door, there on the porch was Brother Richardson, my Teachers Quorum advisor, along with 4 or 5 of the other boys from the quorum. “John.” He said. “We miss you. Why didn’t you come to our activity?”
“I have a lot of homework.” Was my lame excuse.
“We’re going to Dairy Queen to get blizzards,” Brother Richardson said. “We’d like you to come with us.”
I love blizzards and wanted to go get one, but I felt like if I were to just go for the blizzards it wouldn’t be right. So I declined the invitation.
Brother Richardson didn’t budge. “No—we’d really like you to come.”
I don’t remember how many times I refused and how many times he insisted, but I do remember I went. And I never missed another mutual.
I’m not quite sure why Brother Richardson sought me out that night. I do know that if he had sent me a text message I would have ignored it. But when he came to my door, that made all the difference. That rescuing effort on his part made a tremendous difference in my life.
In Ezekiel 34:12, 16, the Lord says, “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day….I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick”
I love this imagery, and wonder if the Savior had it in mind when he said, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).
One of my favorite talks about seeking after the lost sheep was given by Elder Arnold. I guarantee you’ll laugh at the images…and feel the love!
(I know the below video says “The Savior’s Parables,” but if you click on it, it’s queued up to go straight to the Elder Arnold video.
6 thoughts on “Ezekiel and Seeking the Sheep”
Where is the link to Elder Arnolds talk?
It’s embedded in the parables video…just click that video and it’s queued up and ready to go!
I love all the work you and others are doing to help me learn to look for more while studying the scriptures and applying them to myself. I feel like I have learned so much since Covid that I really should have learned since my conversion in 1974. How blessed we are to have living prophets who prepared us for Covid and home church and provided us with such wonderful scholars of the scriptures and Book of Mormon Central. My day is complete when I listen, read and watch. My scriptures are full of notes. Thank you so much.
Thank you for your excellent teaching. You truly make a difference and help me be inspired.
I thoroughly enjoyed the video and I especially like the part where he ran into the ocean and his bishop did not stop until he got him. Makes me realize it doesn’t matter how we don’t think we are good enough we are always good enough for the saviour as long as we’re trying
I have been an avid reader my whole life of Church History and doctrine. At one time I even considered myself as well read. I have been stunned following yours and other excellent podcasts at how much I did not know. Your last episode with Hank and John was awesome. I am grateful for so many people that take extra time to share their knowledge of the scriptures. I hadn’t even scratched the surface of what there is too know. I feel that the several of you have taken the call for the “gathering of Israel” seriously and are helping many of us that are “already gathered” to catch the vision by having the scriptures laid open for us. Thank you all