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June 18 Lessons from the not-so-smart sheep Somehow time just seems to slip by so quickly! I am still surprised every time I look at the calendar and see it is June... I'm still in the spring mindset, and with the stormy and rainy weather that has plagued our state so recently causing quite a pause in our planting, perhaps the fact that we are still planting beans tricks me into thinking we are still in the previous month. I continue to enjoy the peaceful serenity of the country. For some unexplainable reason, I really enjoy looking out the window and watching the sheep grazing in the pasture right by the house. Although I don't have the kindest words for these creatures when they choose to escape. One morning while talking on the phone with Brian's aunt I looked out to see sheep in the driveway. She sent her son, Barry, down to help. Up until my marriage to a farmer with sheep, a very handsome farmer I might add, my knowledge of these animals was rooted in what I heard from sermons. Yes, that's right, sermons. With many passages of Scripture including accounts and imagery of sheep and shepherds, many pastors preaching on these passages would explain the nature of sheep to shed light on the fuller meaning of the passage. While assisting Barry in corralling the sheep into their pen, I witnessed the nature of sheep myself and couldn't help but to see a greater picture. The sheep were scared, they really weren't interested in freedom, just food and the grass looked green and tasty on the other side of the fence, and the hole in the fence provided the door. However after wandering around the barn, down the road, into our driveway, and being spooked by us approaching them, the safety and security of the pen was what they really wanted. But no matter how hard we tried to help them, they just didn't seem to understand that all we were trying to do was lead them back to where they wanted to go. The most powerful illustration for me during this experience was after we had all the sheep corralled, but two. As Barry slowly approached them they ran to the closed gate of the pen. Ramming their heads into the corner by the gate, frantically trying to get in. Barry's approach did not ease their distress, and he had no choice but to quickly grab one, pick it up and put it over the fence into the pen. While this was successful from the standpoint that both sheep ended up in the pen, their frenzied fight - resulting in more of a drop on the other side of the fence, got me thinking. How often does Jesus, our Great Shepherd, try to lovingly lead us back to where it is safe, yet we run from Him? And how often do we fight and resist Him when He picks us up because He knows that ramming our heads into the gate is not going to get us inside? And how often to we get angry with God and blame Him when our landing hurts a bit? At the conclusion of this episode I said to both Barry and my husband... these sheep are dumb! And in thinking about this metaphorically to our sometimes response to the Great Shepherd, well.... I will let you draw your own conclusion. Thank You Lord for Your love. For understanding the big picture that we can not always see, even when we think we can. Thank You for Your patience and Your unfailing love, even when we resist You. |
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