a healing in breaking (pt 1)

i had thought before i left for a book study at church tonight that i would come home and blog about the fun that was my day, sprinkling a few pictures and lighthearted comments here and there. but after spending a few hours this evening with some lovely ladies studying this book on idols and placing God above and before everything else in our lives, i would rather share a story/fact/point that i learned this evening. in speaking about God and His love for us and His desire to not only make us aware of our idols but bring us back to Himself, the lady leading the group brought up a verse in psalm 51: "let the bones you have crushed rejoice." (v8) she went on to explain that back in "Bible times" a shepherd would care for a flock of sheep. for the most part, the sheep would follow the shepherd. however, if a sheep repeatedly wandered away from the flock, the shepherd would break the sheep's legs, rendering it unable to walk. this sounds incredibly cruel, right? but the shepherd would then carry the sheep around his neck until its legs were healed. the sheep would be as close to the shepherd as it could possibly get, soaking in the shepherd's scent, voice and disposition. after the sheep's bones were healed, it would never wander from the shepherd again. i would never understand this verse without knowing the context. as a child who grew up in a Christian home, going to church every Sunday, i have seen plenty of pictures depicting Jesus holding a sheep around His neck. i always thought it was a warm, kind or religious portrayal of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. but tonight, i got it. sometimes, when we stray, God has to break our bones so that we can be close to Him. so that He can carry us and overwhelm us with His sweet fragrance, His soft voice and His love. He breaks us so that He can heal us, and our trust in Him will grow so that we will walk beside and with Him. the initial pain is only the beginning. it is done out of His love for us, resulting in our betterment. it all comes down to a God who desires so much to show us that walking with Him is the best way to live and that because of His love He wants to bring us closer to Him, the source of all peace, hope and love. pretty incredible... and much more interesting than my day (: