In the shadows of life’s darkest alleys, where brokenness meets despair, there is One who runs—not walks—after us. That’s what this powerful illustration captures: Jesus, the Good Shepherd, sprinting down a grimy, cluttered alleyway, chasing a lone, frightened sheep. A mess surrounds them—garbage bins toppled, windows broken, the alley drenched in a heavy darkness. But none of it slows Him down.
This image echoes the heart of the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7), where Jesus tells of a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in open pasture to go after the one that is lost. Not because the one is more important—but because the one is hurting, lost, afraid. The pursuit is relentless, not because we are perfect, but because we are loved.
Too often, we convince ourselves that we have strayed too far, made too big a mess, or fallen too deep into the dark. But this illustration, like the parable, reminds us that no mess is too big for Jesus to find you. He doesn’t wait for you to clean up. He comes to where you are—in your chaos, in your regret, in your hiding—and He runs to you.
Grace doesn’t flinch in the face of your mess. It moves toward it.
That’s the radical love of the Shepherd. Not passive. Not hesitant. But urgent and unafraid.
And when He finds you, He doesn’t scold you. He lifts you. Carries you. Rejoices over you.
So if you find yourself today in a dark alley of your own making, remember: You are not too far gone. You are not too lost. The Shepherd is already on His way.
He sees the mess—and He still runs after you.
Illustration: Kevin Carden
Kenrick Vaz 