Vision: The Path to Good Health

 

Vision: The Path to Good Health

7^th February 2014

I saw this vision several months ago.

I saw two flocks of Sheep.

One flock of sheep were diligent, and the other lazy.

The diligent had been told to go to a certain place and follow the path; the sheep had been assured that there they would find and eat highly nutritious food, and suffer no deficiency. Rather than setting off immediately, they conferred one with another.

As the diligent stood conferring, instead of instantly moving, the lazy flock sneaked up and overheard the hard-working sheep talking about abundant food. Immediately, they decided to trail behind the diligent in their search for the certain place.

The industrious sheep were shocked to see the lazy ones follow them. “Why are you following us?” they asked.

“We have been called to the certain place too, you know!” a lazy sheep replied. They did not tell the diligent ones that they had overheard them as they stood conferring for hours, and that they were now copying their words.

The diligent ones were horrified, they wondered how these indolent sheep could have been called to graze with them in one pasture, and eat the same food?



I saw that the flocks walked separately.

The diligent sought this certain place and within no time at all, they found a vast tract of land, shaded by many trees.

Seeing that they did not have to walk far to find this land, and that there was plenty of shade and enough to eat, the slothful sheep were unconcerned whether or not this was ‘the certain place’.

Whilst these hard-working sheep turned to confer and confirm one with another if this were the place, the indolent ones pushed and shoved and flanked and butted them out of the way and ran so they could be the first to occupy the land.

The lazy sheep immediately settled on the property and were importing water from a ditch outside the borders. One sip of the water had caused their bodies to bloat so much, that they were laying on their backs, in fits of giggles. These lazy sheep were unconcerned. Each occupied a vast area of the land. The owner of the sweetened water would send these bloated sheep giant straws, so they could continue to lay on their backs and drink and giggle. The sugared water killed all the hunger the lazy sheep had, and the desire to seek food, vanished from them.

The diligent sheep that had been pushed and kicked down by the lazy sheep, now rose from the ground, bruised and hurt. It took a little while recovering from the shock of all that had transpired. They stood afar from the place and paced up and down the road and looked around in disbelief. They saw the sheep getting more bloated and coarser in their behavior.

The diligent flock gathered to confer. They expressed their doubts to each other, “maybe we’re wrong, maybe this is not the certain place, and maybe we found it too easily, too quickly. Maybe it’s a long arduous journey away….. maybe………”

Injured and a little confused, they lingered on the road. They found a little food and water on the side of the road, a little away from the entrance of the property. The diligent sheep had never associated with the lazy sheep. Now as they watched them get more bloated  by the minute, their minds were flooded with questions. Was this the certain place? If it was then why was the water the lazy sheep drinking so unhealthy? The diligent sheep had been told that where they going, they would find healthy food……. should they move on?

As some sat conferring some more, others moved away and stood praying for guidance.

After they had prayed they opened their eyes and they clearly saw the source of the water, the bloated sheep were drinking from. It did not originate from this specific land!  As they moved their heads to the other side a great light shone on a tree-lined path, right behind where the lazy sheep lay.

All the diligent sheep had been so disgusted seeing the bloated sheep sprawled on the ground; they had turned their faces away, and had not closely observed the lay of the land. But now, these prayerful sheep gazed at all that was before them with amazement. Their eyes were opened to see a luscious pasture beyond the trees, scarcely a little distance along that path.  None of them had noticed this before.

Now these prayerful sheep wanted to race to the conferring sheep and tell them what they had seen, but they were divinely instructed to immediately proceed to the path, instead.

They saw that whilst they had been praying, the conferring sheep had moved across the road and were talking to a vast number of stray sheep who had gathered around them.

These prayerful diligent ones understood that the conferring sheep had developed a liking for conferring and would only want to confer some more. Their intense dislike of the ways of the lazy sheep , would blind the conferring ones from believing that the land just beyond where the slothful lay, was’ the certain place’, they had been instructed to go to.

In the meanwhile, the lazy sheep continued to roll on the ground in glee. They were delighted to rest under the shade and drink the sugared water, which was so filling, they did not need to go looking for food. They boastfully called out to the stray sheep claiming they owned the land and offered to rent some of it to them.

These prayerful sheep now hastened toward the path revealed to them.

The conferring sheep were left speechless as they watched their companions of years head towards where these indolent sheep lay. From afar, it looked as if the diligent sheep were heading straight into the lazy sheep camp.

The opinionated stray sheep quickly remarked, “Looks like you diligent sheep are easily divided; never thought we’d live to see the diligents join up with those fat cats, those lazy sheep!”

The stray sheep sniggered; “Watch the diligent walk right into deception!” said the elder stray, sarcastically.

As the sheep stood there, exchanging barbs, smoke from a nearby forest fire engulfed them. They lost sight of the lazy and the diligent, as they coughed and spluttered.

Then came a  sudden strong gust of wind and swept away the smoke. All the road-side sheep recovered from their coughing bout, and their eyes turned again to the lazy sheep camp. They saw even more bloated sheep, lying on their backs, legs up in the air giggling away.

A young conferring sheep, trembled with dread and pointing to a bloated sheep, said, “Is that uncle Diligence?”

Just the thought of such a horrific conversion, terrified the conferring sheep. They became fearful. How could half their flock, cross over to the other side and consume what the lazy sheep drank? Why had they not conferred with the rest of the sheep, before departing?

The strays were watching this spectacle with great relish.

“‘Diligent sheep’, now ain’t that a misnomer! Seems to me, ‘Deceived’ sheep is a more suitable name”, said a young stray sheep.

Indignant, the conferring sheep walked away angrily, and one yelled back, “How dare you, you strays!”

The conferring sheep were livid. They formed a circle and conferred about what to do about their anger. The eldest among them, who was in great anguish remarked, “How could those lazy sheep also have been called to come to the certain place…….doesn’t make sense……..?”

“Could they have copied us?” asked another sheep.

“They couldn't have heard us, as the moment we received our instructions, we set out for the certain place….”

“No, we did not”, interrupted the youngest among them. “The moment we received the call to go to the certain place to find the special food, we did not leave immediately, we conferred one with another, just like we always do. We sure confer a lot!”

There was a stunned silence.

Suddenly, they saw their folly. Each silently moved away to the side to pray, and now their eyes could see the path. In a flash, they saw the luscious pasture, which was glowing in a peculiar light. This unusual light, magnified the food growing there, so that they could actually see the rich ingredients it contained.

This time, the remaining diligent sheep did not confer. They moved speedily towards the path.

The lazy sheep could not see the path, the diligent sheep were heading to. “Join us! Come and sow here, and reap abundance,” they shouted as the diligent passed by.

Disgusted, by the sight of all in the lazy camp, a young diligent sheep replied, “how long will you continue to drink from that ditch?”

“Why? Have you found better food than this?” inquired a bloated one.

“Yes, we have found rich food,” replied the young diligent sheep.

The lazy one laughed, “Rich in what?”

“Rich in iron,”  came the response.

“Iron? Who eats iron?” questioned the lazy sheep.

“Those called of the Lord,” replied the diligent sheep.

As the vision closed, I saw that these remaining diligent sheep now filled with great excitement, hastened to step onto the hidden path. They arrived in these spacious luscious pastures  and each was taken in different directions that they may joyfully eat this special food, which would remove their deficiencies.

Bombay-India

Swarna Jha