Me? Like a Sheep?

I think I hear some of my readers commenting:

“Lambs are cute and woolly, and all that. But aren’t sheep ‘dumb’ and helpless creatures? I’m not sure I want to be like a sheep.”

In answer, I’ll offer a few tantalizing, biblical tidbits:

“I am the Good Shepherd.”

“My sheep hear my voice.”

“Like sheep without a shepherd”

“Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

“He leads me beside still waters.”

“We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray.”

“I lay down my life for the sheep.”

“Oh…. Well. When you put it that way … I’ll follow Jesus like a sheep if that’s what it takes to hear God’s voice and enjoy those green pastures and still waters. Of course I want to live the life he made possible by laying down his own. … But, what does that mean in real life? How does this sheep thing work?”

I’m glad you asked. God gave us this picture of sheep and pastures. However, it is hard for us to fathom such love and all the nuances of a lamb-like life of trust. So we look to the example of human shepherds. Those earthy, mucking-in-the-barn and traipsing-in-the-pastures, shepherds know sheep. They can tell us a lot about the woolly creatures the Bible says we are like.

“I’ll bet those shepherds could tell some stories! Even from Jesus’ parables, it sounds like sheep can get into a lot of trouble.”

In fact, I have two friends who are shepherds of sheep. Their names are Marilyn and Millie, two women who have raised thousands of lambs and tended flocks on their farms in Colorado. They have given names to many of their lambs and gotten to know their individual sheep quirks and personalities. They’ve nursed sick sheep, bottle-fed orphan lambs, called flocks in from the pasture, protected them from marauding dogs and hungry coyotes. They’ve laughed at sheep antics and cried over their losses and vulnerabilities.

“I’d like to meet those shepherdesses and visit the sheep farm, but I don’t suppose I ever will.”

Oh, you can! Vicariously! Just read Marilyn and Millie’s book of sheep stories in All We Like Sheep : Lessons from the Sheepfold. They’ll even help you better understand how to follow the Good Shepherd “like a sheep of his pasture.”

“Great! Where can I get this book of sheep stories?”

Glad you asked. Just click: https://cladach.com/all-we-like-sheep/

Remember, keep listening for the gentle voice of our trustworthy Shepherd.