A Sheep In His Flock

Shhh…quiet. I’m in Shepherdess stealth mode.

It’s been cloudy today, so daylight is dwindling quickly as I’m trying to get through evening chores. I can’t afford any delays. Then I hear the low bellow of Manny, our very large leader sheep. There goes stealth mode. Manny’s deep baa signals the other sheep that their Shepherdess is in sight and that could mean grain or other food. The whole flock rushes towards me in one woolly noisy mass of baaing.

Manny often blows my stealth mode. He’s big and loud and somewhat obnoxious. He also doesn’t have any respect for humans or boundaries and his idea of personal space doesn’t come close to matching mine. That makes him dangerous to me since he outweighs me by 100 pounds. I stay close to a fence line when he’s near because it makes me less likely to get run over by this woolly bull in a china shop.

To be totally honest, Manny’s not my favorite sheep. I rescued him when he was a lamb that was supposed to be the main course at a lamb roast. But he soon became a pet, his owners waited too long, and he grew too quickly to easily become the star of the lamb roast. Sheep usually don’t do well living alone so I took him in.

While I love all my sheep, I don’t always like everything they do. However, that doesn’t mean I treat the difficult sheep differently or love them less than the other more compliant ones. They are all in my flock and I am their Shepherdess regardless of how they act. I personally chose them to be part of my flock and I will be their Shepherdess until either they or I am no more.

Much like my Good Shepherd. He chooses each sheep for His flock and doesn’t love one of his sheep more than another — even the often unruly sheep like myself. He loves each of His sheep equally because He created them with a uniquely specific purpose in mind — a part only they can play in His flock. Once we’re in His flock, He will always be our Good Shepherd even after we leave this world behind.

My grandpa used to say, “God doesn’t have any stepchildren” and that’s true. He created every single person on this planet, knit them together in their mother’s wombs. He loves each person He created but won’t force them to love or follow Him — to be part of His flock.

Instead, the Good Shepherd calls us and waits with open arms for us to come to Him, to enter His flock of our own free will — to be protected and cared for and loved by Him.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to fathom that the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords has chosen me for His flock. It’s difficult to fully internalize that He believes I am worthy enough to be called His especially in those times I am unruly, disobedient, rebellious and choose to go my own way.

But He does, and I am. Thank God, I am. And always will be. He my forever Good Shepherd, me His beloved sheep.

Jackie Deems copyright 2023

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. John 10:27–30