Our
sons are in 4H. Therefore, at this season, we are picking out
sheep to bring home, feed, halter break, exercise, and do the
overall “sheep” thing. We got em unloaded and in their
pen… all except for one. It got loose and began frantically
running around looking for its “buds.” We got around
it and began aiming it in the right direction. It’s like
sheep take on this attitude of, “if you want me to go THIS
way, that MUST be the way I don’t want to go!” Its
head is up high, its eyes are wide open, but can it see the other
sheep right in front of it? Noooo! I have a personal belief that
sheep are blind in part. You know, mentally blind. They can see
escape routes, things to eat and such, but can’t seem to
see what NEEDS to be seen! So, she heads out to pasture, bleating
all the way. We run to get around her. She runs farther away.
We run some more…. You know the story.
She goes under the board fence and gets out in the pasture with
the horses. Oh GREAT! How do you explain to the breeders that
the expensive sheep you borrowed from them is now dead? You don’t
explain… you just pull out your checkbook. The horses caught
sight of the ewe. It was like a herd of cats going after a mouse.
Five horses honed in on one sheep, each one intent on relieving
it from its misery. The ewe is darting and diving. The horses
are all over it. We’re running around, arms waving, shouting
at one another, huffing and puffing. Welcome to the Lyons’
home where peace and serenity reign!
Finally the ewe just couldn’t go any more. Tyger was closest
and grabbed the sheep… foiling the horses’ plans.
We each took turns carrying her out of the death trap she’d
gotten herself into and back to the place she belonged. All ended
well. The sheep got exercised… WE got exercised… the
horses were entertained… so were the neighbors I’m
sure.
The more I hang around sheep, the more I feel insulted that that’s
what God likened His people to. Why not horses… or eagles…
or deer… something with brains and class! Why sheep? I think
I know. (Though I don’t care for the answer.) We can be
blind in part too… mentally blind. Blind to see only what
we WANT to see. The moment we feel God’s prodding to move
us in a certain direction, we IMMEDIATELY take on the attitude
that if God wants me to go THAT way, then I’m sure I won’t
LIKE it! So, we run around in our circles of despair, barely escaping
flying hooves coming our way, and thinking we’ve really
“cut a shine,”
until we just can’t go any further. Then if we don’t
get killed in the process, we finally poop out, and welcome the
Savior… the Rescuer of our souls… the great Shepherd
to step in and deliver us. He’ll pick us up from where we
are, and carry us to where we should be… and would have
been ALREADY if we hadn’t been so bull headed.
Oh, the life of sheep. Though you and I would like to think of
ourselves as “other than”…I think our wool is
definitely showing.
