There’s a story…
It must be true.
I read it on the internet, so… ?
Yet, true or not, it drives home a point; so here goes:
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Every once in a while, a mama sheep (ewe) will give birth to a lamb and reject it.
There are a lot of possibilities as to why; but, suffice it to say, that if her baby is returned to mama, she will simply kick it away, again.
Once she’s made up her mind about the lamb, Mama Ewe never changes it.
Shepherds tell us that this little lamb will hang its head so low that it almost looks as if the neck is broken.
The lamb’s spirit (obviously) has been!
Shepherds call these rejected lambs, “bummer lambs,” and, unless there is a “good shepherd” watching their flock, that little cast away babe will die.
Awwww-but, a good shepherd gathers up that baby and carries him home, where he will hand feed, keep warm by the fire, wrap with blankets, and hold that wee one so close to his chest, that the little bummer-lamb will feel his heart-beat.
He will speak softly into the little lamb’s ear and care for him until the babe is capable of living in the field with the rest of the sheep.
BUT…
The sheep never forgets the Shepherd, because his experience with the Shepherd tells him, the Shepherd can be trusted!
He is, after all, a “GOOD” Shepherd.
So, when the Shepherd comes to the field and calls for the flock, who is the first to come to him?
Of course! The bummer lamb.
He knows that voice intimately.
He knows he is loved.
He has experienced that love fully.
He KNOWS and trusts the shepherd.
In the midst of everything, he is content.
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Sometimes, we feel just like the bummer lamb.
Those who were supposed to love us, reject us…and, if it’s not a loved one, life, itself, has a way of kicking out at us, bringing immense pain and turmoil.
Sometimes, we pick ourselves up and go back to try again, only to be pushed away another time.
So, we hang our heads, spirits broken, and wander off into a corner with all the emotions of a bummer lamb.
We don’t understand the why, but we can get to know the WHO…
Near to us all, with an outstretched arm, stands a Good Shepherd, who wants to bring us into His home, to warm us by His fire, to comfort us close to His heart, and whisper words that will heal our broken souls…
…IF WE WILL LET HIM.
It’s a big ask for someone beat down and abandoned.
It’s not easy for a lamb that’s walked a hard road.
Trials, hardships, difficulty, suffering, all make us want to crawl into a corner and isolate.
Trust doesn’t come easily.
That’s why throughout Scripture, those who’ve experienced the same kind of HARD, write about the Good Shepherd who can be trusted.
They’ve risked reaching for His outstretched hand, taken a chance on getting to know Him, and proven Him to be all that He says He is.
Those who’ve KNOWN Him, written about Him, and proved Him faithful want us to know we can experience the same.
They key is in the word “KNOW,” as in INTIMATELY!
The Apostle Paul, in all his letters, but especially in Philippians wants us to understand that “knowing Jesus” is key to having a strong theology of suffering and surviving all life throws our way.
It’s an invitation, really…not just from the Apostle Paul, but from the Good Shepherd, Himself.
