but sadly one day, she found herself being bounced out of the rolling carrier that she was in with all the other toys and found herself lying in the middle of the street.

before she could even understand what happened, a car came and hit the doll and broke it into many pieces.

the doll tries desperately to pull herself together and attach the broken pieces, but alas, nothing stays together as it should.

unfortunately, the doll is trying to do this herself, she cannot really see where all the broken parts go and how they fit.

she is lying on the ground and does not have the proper perspective to put each piece exactly where it belongs. and she surely doesn’t have any glue to make them stay together.

then, while lying there trying to pick up her pieces, another car comes by and another and another… and now she is mostly in splinters.

the once beautiful doll who was such a delight is now, within minutes, no longer recognizable to any who knew her nor can she recognize herself.

she cries from the pavement for help, but all she hears is people walking by, talking, laughing, and some w/o knowing have even stepped on her parts and broken them even further.

for many days she tries to pull herself together, only to find herself shattered more and more. her dress is shredded, muddy, buttons missing and barely there.

her eyes start to dim, and she finally gives up all hope of ever being being whole again…tears streaming down her face as she remembers who she once was. but there is no more reason to hope, she has tried her best to recover, her strength was whittled away time after time as she tried to put herself back together only to find herself hit once again.

so, with no more strength left in her, she sheds her last tear and gives up her dream of being what she once was….and she closes her eyes…and releases herself to that place of being no more.

all seemed to have forgotten that she ever even existed….except One.

there is One who will never forget…there is One who quietly walks the streets looking for shattered dolls…

… by Nikki Garrett

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing…”   Luke 15:4-5 (NKJV)

Isaiah 40:10-11 Here is your God! See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

My sincere thanks to Nikki Garrett for writing this heart felt story and granting me permission to share it with you here.

God bless you Nikki and much love to you dear sister,

Laura Maxwell.