All lost sheep are not prodigal sons

Artist: Liz Swindle

I guess one of the unique blessings of being a substitute teaching in Sunday School is that even after the lesson is over you continue thinking about it.  There is no lesson for the next week to switch your attention to.  In my case it isn't what I coulda' shoulda' done different but rather just that the scriptures continue to be on my mind and I consider other areas of the lesson and remain aware of how the things in my daily life connect with that lesson. 

I think about some of the lost sheep that I know of in my life.  I remember one mother telling me about her son that may be called a lost sheep.  That even after he stopped coming to church for quite some time he would continue to ask, "Did anyone ask about me at church?"  Even though he may have been lost, he still wanted to be remembered.

I think of various times that I have read news reports about people who were lost, either children kidnapped, hikers lost in the mountains, snowmobilers who didn't come home as expected and runaway teenagers.  Huge efforts by law enforcement, search and rescue, churches and communities ensued to try to find the missing one.  So as a whole we do recognize the value of the lost sheep or the prodigal child.

Artist: Liz Swindle

Maybe because the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Prodigal Son are so closely tied in the scriptures we often think of only boys in this role.  But there are girls who travel this road too.  Still, thinking of it so narrowly that a lost sheep or prodigal will be a young person isn't the full picture either.  A parent, adult or even grandparent can be a lost sheep too.  Let's not forget them, instead attributing being lost to youth only, but lets remember to seek out the lost of all stripes. 

I ran across some videos about Liz Swindle the artist and her working on a painting entitled lost sheep.  Hope you enjoy.

This first one is about her process leading to the painting.

This second one is a brief interview of her model for the Savior.

And the last one is a about the model for the lost sheep, even briefer than the last.