1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.
2 For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them.
3 But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.
Today I have been pondering a statement made by the Savior in Jerusalem during His mortal ministry: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16). When He visited the inhabitants of the American continent after His death and resurrection, the Savior told them that they were the other sheep of whom He had spoken in Jerusalem. Then, He immediately informed them that He had yet other sheep whom He would visit next.
As I’ve thought about this scripture, I’ve considered some of the “folds” that I am a part of, including my family, my church congregation, my team at work, my neighborhood, my city, my country. I think we are all part of many folds—groups of people with some common goal or characteristic which unites them. We may feel a greater or lesser degree of loyalty to some of these folds than to others, but in each case, they give us a sense of belonging and they provide us with opportunities to serve and to be served.
I wonder if it wouldn’t be a good idea to periodically ask ourselves, “What other sheep are there, who are not of this fold?” God loves all of His children, and He wants them all to experience joy and growth. He wants His children “to love one another and to serve one another” (Mosiah 4:15). His ideal is for us to be united: one fold with one Shepherd. To the degree that we limit our experience and our investment of time to people that we already know, we reduce our effectiveness in helping Him to achieve that goal.
Today, as I participate in the groups that I belong to, I will ask myself, “Who else can I serve?” I will make the effort to reach out to people I don’t know well and with whom I may feel less comfortable, knowing that they are also the Savior’s sheep, and that He would like us all to be part of one fold.
As I’ve thought about this scripture, I’ve considered some of the “folds” that I am a part of, including my family, my church congregation, my team at work, my neighborhood, my city, my country. I think we are all part of many folds—groups of people with some common goal or characteristic which unites them. We may feel a greater or lesser degree of loyalty to some of these folds than to others, but in each case, they give us a sense of belonging and they provide us with opportunities to serve and to be served.
I wonder if it wouldn’t be a good idea to periodically ask ourselves, “What other sheep are there, who are not of this fold?” God loves all of His children, and He wants them all to experience joy and growth. He wants His children “to love one another and to serve one another” (Mosiah 4:15). His ideal is for us to be united: one fold with one Shepherd. To the degree that we limit our experience and our investment of time to people that we already know, we reduce our effectiveness in helping Him to achieve that goal.
Today, as I participate in the groups that I belong to, I will ask myself, “Who else can I serve?” I will make the effort to reach out to people I don’t know well and with whom I may feel less comfortable, knowing that they are also the Savior’s sheep, and that He would like us all to be part of one fold.