The Lord Sent Me a Shepherd

When I finally looked up from the game we were playing, I realized that it was past five o’clock and I was going to be late getting home. I hurriedly said good-bye to my friend Susan, and then I rushed out the door.

Since I was only eight years old at the time, I knew I would be in trouble when I got home. At the moment, however, I was more worried about walking several blocks alone in the approaching darkness of a fall evening in San Mateo, California. The streets seemed deserted.

As I walked along the sidewalk in the shadows, fear overcame me and I began to panic. A prayer filled my mind: Please, Heavenly Father, help me get home safely.

Suddenly I sensed movement behind me. I whipped around and saw a large German shepherd came out from between two houses. I had once been chased by a big boxer, so I was terrified. But the dog simply trotted up beside me, wagging its tail. I kept walking, and the German shepherd continued along at my side.

At the first corner we came to, the dog stepped in front of me so I had to stop. When he could see that all was safe, we crossed together. He repeated this routine at every street.

All fear left me, and I rested my hand on my companion’s back as we traveled swiftly and safely. Forgetting that I was late, I started hoping to convince my parents that this dog was the pet I’d always dreamed about. However, when we reached the sidewalk in front of my house, my guardian looked up at me with friendly eyes and then continued down the street as if we had never met. I saw the dog on several occasions after that, but he never again paid me any particular attention.

Since this childhood experience, I’ve thought many times about the dog. Had he been trained at an obedience school or as a Seeing Eye dog? One thing is certain: when the German shepherd joined me on that dark evening, it was an answer to my prayer. Heavenly Father’s answers come in all shapes and sizes—this one happened to have four legs.