“Rejoice with Me; for I Have Found My Sheep Which Was Lost
”In most situations, 99 out of 100 would be considered excellent—but not when such numbers stand for beloved children of God (see D&C 18:10). In that case, even one soul merits a thorough, desperate search “until [we] find it” (Luke 15:4), as the Savior taught in the parable of the lost sheep. Then the rejoicing can begin, for “joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). If that seems unfair, it’s helpful to remember that, in truth, there are none who “need no repentance.” We all need rescuing. And we all can participate in the rescue, rejoicing together over every soul who is saved (see D&C 18:15–16).
In this episode, I start by talking about the parable of the foolish rich man. The point of the story was how much do we really need? How can we be a better steward over the wealth and talents the Lord has blessed us with?
The next section is all about searching for the lost. Lost money, lost sheep, lost coins etc. Again we talk more in-depth about the prodigal son. The lesson references one of my FAVORITE talks by Jeffrey R Holland, “The Other Prodigal.”
The story of the Prodigal Son is a beautiful story about the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. But there is also another story hidden in there that we often miss. And that’s the story of the other brother. Elder Holland’s talk addresses this brother’s jealousy and the feelings that all so often have for others. It’s really humbling to find out you need rescuing as much as the person you are judging. Yikes!
Then the podcast ends with the story of the 10 lepers. The manual references another favorite talk by Henry B Eyring entitled, “O Remember, Remember.” He talks about the importance of noticing the hand of the Lord in our lives every day and writing it down. It’s so good.
This podcast episode was an answer to my prayers!! Thank you for being the tool in the Lords hand to answer it. ❤
Thank you for all the time and effort you put into your podcasts! I listen every Monday morning while I’m milking the cow and the goats. I look forward to your lesson because it is always a good introduction to my personal study throughout the week. I love that you are human just like me! I love that the gospel is part of every minute of your life and that you take the moments of your life and turn them into parables for me to learn from.
Hey Melanie. I too love your podcast and have shared it with many of my friends. Your authenticity is refreshing! ❤️ You mentioned you printed out a blog of yours and I’m wondering if you could let me know how you did that. I saved all my son’s mission letters and put them in a blog but have no idea how to print them out. Thank you!
This weeks podcast was a source of comfort to me. I have been feeling lately NOT like the lost sheep, but one of the 99 that gets over looked and forgotten. Now i realize i am “the other prodigal”. Thank you for making it so clear to me that my progress in the gospel does not depreciate when someone returns. I am still a faithful sheep, and The Good Shepherd loves me no matter what.
I’m one of those commuting New Yorkers who looks forward to you every Monday. You inspired me. I listen once alone and once with my husband.
Can you post the letter of thanks from the missionary.
PS. I loved the Book of Mormon episode. You are truly inspired.
I love, love, LOVE your podcast! Thank you for sharing your fervent testimony with us every week and strengthening mine in the process. What a blessing you are in my life! I am curious about your arsenal of favorite talks that you mentioned in your last podcast. I would love it if you could share which talks those are. The two that you mentioned are definite gems! Thank you for bringing them to my memory. One of them was an answer to prayer. Thank you ❤️!
Thank you for your time and talents that you share with us! I listen every week at work while I’m processing invoices. Your podcast definitely brightens up those moments! I especially love your sign off — Shine on! What a great reminder. Thank you.
When you told your story of taking pictures for the families who had lost their infants, I immediately teared up. As a mother who has delivered 3 in the 2nd trimester, I wanted to say “thank you”. We were blessed to have a photographer with one from the group Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep when we learned of the passing of what would have been our 4th child. He was on call for us knowing that we would deliver the baby at some point the following morning. Those photos are the only tangible memories we have of our little one and our family and the emotions that occurred that day. I treasure them and the others that followed. I have often imagined how hard that must have been to do for us and it makes me so much more thankful. You gave a gift to those families and your service will never be forgotten. I don’t recall what I said to our photographers (if I even said anything) but I hope they know how thankful I am. So I thought I would express my gratitude to you as one who has done this service.
Hi Melanie,
A friend suggested listening to you. She said you were ‘snarky’ and ‘fun’ and that her girls loved listening to you in the car. So I started listening to you and have suggested your podcast to my sisters and friends as well. I was pleasantly surprised when you talked about your mission because I also served in the Kobe Mission under President Morris Sterrett (1987-1988) and can relate to so many experiences you have had. I recently returned from a trip to Israel/Egypt with Anderson Tours. Clark Anderson was our guide and I don’t think I can ever read the scriptures the same again. He brought them alive as you have done. This year has been amazing as I feel that we should have ALWAYS been delving into the scriptures like this and I feel I lost many opportunities with my children who are mostly grown and gone. I have one little caboose left to still practice on. Come Follow Me is inspired and has made scripture reading so much more enjoyable. I don’t mind your tangents and I don’t mind your emotions. I think and cry that way too! It’s raw and it’s real. Keep it up, Suzanne
I think you are awesome and I love your podcast! I listened to another podcast episode that made me think of you because of your love of synonyms and I thought that you’d get a kick out of it. It’s not a 100% happy story, but it’s really interesting! Shine on! https://overcast.fm/+GHNO6KjAM
I was just listening to the remainder of your podcast tonight that I didn’t finish on Monday. My 9 year old grandson was nearby as you told the story of the 10 lepers. When you spoke of the blessings received by the one man who gave thanks, and you said that he got to be near the Savior and receive a special blessing from Him, my grandson said, “That’s all I want; I don’t care about no reward.” Thank you Melanie for all you do!
That’s the BEST! I love it. Cherish a 9-year-old who thinks that way! He’s amazing.
Thankyou for sharing your knowledge with me/us! You are an absolute delight. You have such a way with stories & are so fun to listen to. Thankyou for your efforts to help us with our journey with the savior & to become like him & follow him. I like the idea of starting a gratitude journal.. look forward to this upcoming week!
I started listening to episode 19 last week but didn’t finish. I wish I had. This week was a spiritually challenging week. I have been feeling forgotten by Heavenly Father. A blessing I see others receive abundantly is one I pray for daily. For years I’ve been hoping and praying. This week I fought with my husband and broke down crying and tried to explain it wasn’t him I was upset with but Heavenly Father for ignoring us. He assured me that he sees our family being blessed in other ways and we need to be grateful for those blessings. Listening to the podcast just now I remembered President Eyring’s talk and I too kept a gratitude journal. Had I finished listening to the podcast last week I would have remembered my journal and started back up or looked through and remembered everything I’ve been blessed with. It may have changed my heart. A fight with my husband could have been avoided and feelings of being forgotten and ignored lessened. Thank you.