Mary Had a Little Lamb

I've blogged about my grandmother, "Mary" Ruth McKinley in the past, but on Sunday night my dad shared publicly a story that I had only ever heard in private and I want to share it with you.

When my dad was just starting out in ministry his mother gave him a gift. It was a little stuffed animal. A lamb, to be exact. You can see it in the picture above. Perplexed as to why she would give such a gift to a grown man he asked her why she got it. She told him that she had been shopping in the Goodwill when she felt the Spirit of the Lord tell her to go to a certain bin. In this bin she found items that had very little value. Anything in the bin could be purchased for just a dime. She felt prompted to dig deep into the bin, to the very bottom, where she found this lamb. The lamb was filthy. Her fur was filled with dirt and debris that was matted into her "wool". She purchased the toy and took it home. She mixed warm water and detergent together and began cleaning the lamb. She had to be gentle, because this toy was battered and fragile. She pulled out the debris that didn't belong on the lamb. She dried it, brushed it, and brought it to her son.

My dad was clearly still confused as to why the Lord would have her go through such a strenuous process for this "throw-away" toy that no one seemed to want. But then she told him how the Lord told her to give it to him as he began his journey into ministry because this lamb was like all the people on the earth. You see, in the same way all the items in the bin cost the same price, we were all bought with the same price, the blood of Jesus. She implored him that in the same way that she had to reach to the "bottom of the barrel" for his gift, he must, as a minister reach out to the outcast of society. It is his job to reach the ones that no one else cares about, the ones who aren't good for anything anymore, lost and buried beneath heavy burdens. Then she got to the most important part. She told him that just as she had to be gentle in cleaning the lamb, we must be gentle when we help sinners get clean. Like that stuffed toy, they are battered and fragile. We can't be rough with them.

I had heard this story before, as I had seen it in every office he has ever had, but this time it struck a different chord. Since I have accepted the call into ministry I have become acutely aware of my relationship with lost people. I can't say I've done the best job at being gentle with them. I come across very brash, and matter-of-fact and I believe there is a place for that. I will never apologize for being hard on sin, but I have been too hard on sinners. As my dad told this story, I began weeping as I thought about the lost. I started thinking about how we were all bought with the same price. I'm not any better than anyone else. I'm not worth any more or any less. The same blood that bought me is available for their purchase.

Lord, forgive me for the times I have forgotten these simple truths. Let me never forget that we were bought with a price because You thought we were worth it. Thank You for loving me while I was yet a sinner, but let me remember that I'm not the only one You loved even while in sin. Give me the courage to reach for the "bottom of the barrel" and the patience to help them come clean.