Lessons from the barn

 

If you know me at all, you know that I grew up in a family that raises sheep. Over the last 40 years (gulp!) I have spent a lot of time with sheep and learned valuable life skills...responsibility, teamwork, work ethic, empathy and compassion,...the list goes on and on and I've enjoyed passing those skills onto my own children. 

I have also learned some spiritual lessons in the barn and have even written about this on other occasions, where God reminds me that we are to be like sheep and follow the Good Shepherd (Jesus). I always love the scriptural references to the sheep and the shepherd because I can relate to them and see that relationship in real life.  

The other day my youngest and I were walking sheep like we do every day when something simple happened. One of the lambs got untied somehow from the cart. I saw the halter drop and as I started to race to grab the halter to tie it back up, I realized something...the sheep was looking at my daughter and just continued to walk and follow her, as if still tethered to her.  The sheep could have bolted and made us chase her around the field. But instead, the sheep was looking straight ahead at his "master" (my daughter) and just kept following her without veering off the course. In the moment, we laughed about how they were so well trained, tied her back to the cart, and then continued our walk.

And as I walked, I realized that when the Bible calls us to be like sheep and follow the Good Shepherd...that is what it means. No matter what is happening around us...and the opportunities, temptations, and sins...we are to keep our eyes fixed on our Shepherd and just keep walking. Because the lambs have a routine, know our voices, and have learned to trust us...they just kept walking and following us.  How often do I feel a little freedom and veer off on my own path of choices? How often do I get out of alignment with God's plan because I think my path might be better? Or shorter? Or easier? If the lamb had raced around the field because it could, we would have chased it, been frustrated,  taken a longer amount of time, and exhausted us and the lamb.  But instead, all was well. He just kept following along, trusting that our plan was the best one.  Often I've said that I want to be like a sheep...I want to trust my Shepherd's voice and leading and follow Him willingly.  But I've failed so many times.  The good news is that even after we let God "chase us all over the field"...He welcomes us back in line and continues to lead us. In fact...he probably laughs a little bit at the silliness of our fleeing...If only I keep my eyes fixed on the Shepherd and listen to his voice...All will be well. 

But you know what else I realized...just like we would have chased that silly lamb all over the field to corral it and bring it back to its purpose...God does the same with each of us.  He will search for us, and then bring us back into His presence. How stinking cool is that? 

Lord, help me to be your sheep...following you, listening to you, trusting in you. And when I stray...Lord, draw me back to you. Amen.

Matthew 18: 12-14

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.