I know this post doesn’t have anything to do with geology, other than perhaps Jesus’ words to Peter (“the rock”), but I felt that I needed to write a few things down about my experiences this past week. Perhaps someone will stumble across my comments and find them encouraging.
It’s been hard. One of our 3-week old triplet lambs died of tetanus and then his mother died a few days later of an unknown ailment leaving two orphan lambs, a little black one and a white one. I put the lambs in with the rest of the herd for some company and they are having a hard time staying with the other sheep, although the orphaned brother and sister stay with each other pretty well. They keep hanging out in the pasture where they last remember being with their mother. I can often hear their little cries for their mommy and dead brother. From what I’ve observed, I don’t think sheep see too well and they mostly communicate by smell and sound. The lambs often get “lost” as they wander from the rest of the sheep; sheep usually like to all hang out together so it is odd to find them alone. Yesterday, the little black lamb was doing so poorly and was so weak we brought her into the house and tried bottle feeding her with only little success. This morning we found her dead as well.
The experiences of the past week got me thinking of a couple lessons from the Scriptures which are full of adoption, sheep and Shepherd metaphors.
- We have all been orphaned by the effects of sin and we wander aimlessly and cry out in the dark. But we can be adopted into God’s family and when we cry out, our Father hears us. Galatians 4:5-6: “…to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’”
- Jesus is our Shepherd and cares for us, even when we walk through the “shadow of death.”
Psalm 23. “The LORD is my shepherd…”
John 10:14. “I am the good shepherd…”
- Jesus seeks out little lambs who are lost. They are precious to Him.
Luke 15:4-7. Parable of the lamb lost from the herd of 100 sheep.
- Sheep tend to stray and become lost.
2 Peter 2:25. “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
Isaiah 53:6. “All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”
- Finally Jesus, the Good Shepherd, expects us to “follow Him.” These words happen to be some of His first and last words to the disciples in the gospels.
Matthew 4:19. “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
In John 21:19 Jesus gave the command to “Follow Me!” right after he exhorted Peter to “tend my sheep,” “shepherd my sheep,” and “tend my sheep” (again).
I am not sure what is going to happen to the third lamb of the triplets. So far he seems to be following the rest of the herd and it looks like he may have been “adopted” by another ewe who has twins of about his same age. Sometimes following our Shepherd is not the easiest thing to do. But it is so painful and lonely to wander aimlessly crying in the dark. Allow the Good Shepherd to adopt you and to “make you lie down in green pastures,” “to lead you beside quiet waters,” “to guide you down paths of righteousness” and to “restore your soul” (Psalm 23).
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