The little lambs here on the farm are growing by leaps and bounds. They’re also doing their fair share of leaping and bounding, which is adorable and hilarious to watch. 

When they were pretty young, they never strayed far from their mother. If you spotted a baby, there was a ewe very close by.  But as the lambs have grown, they’ve become more courageous and curious about the world around them. This sense of wonder, however, can be dangerous. Fixated on a specific target or goal, the lambs wander far from their mamas and often find themselves lost, confused, and afraid. On a few different occasions, we’ve had to reunite ewes and lambs that became separated by the river. Mama is on one side. Baby is on the other. And neither can figure out how to get to the other.

In other instances, little lambs have scurried under the fence and found themselves in a different paddock than their mom. One day, we witnessed this as we were walking down the farm trail and heard baby and mama crying out to each other from opposite sides of the road, each in a separate pen.

These days, it’s not unusual to hear the persistent cry of a lamb who has wandered too far and can’t find his mama. It’s heartbreaking, and as much as I long to help, I can’t figure out which lamb belongs to which ewe most of the time. So, in frustration, I do the only thing I can think to do. I point to one sheep after another and question the little lamb: “Is that your mommy? How about that one?” (Helpful, huh?)

In addition to my confusion, I also feel convicted. How many times have I strayed too far from my Father and ended up lost, confused, and afraid? How often have I turned around and muttered, “Lord, where did you go?” How many times have I cried out in frustration, not knowing which way to turn to find my way back home?

The more I observe the sheep on the farm, the more I understand why the Lord refers to us as the sheep of His pasture. We really are like sheep! As a whole, we’re not the brightest bunch. We’re so easily led astray, and we often find ourselves in ridiculous predicaments.

Fortunately, we have a loving Shepherd who cares enough about us to lead and guide us, to protect and nurture us. And when we stray, He doesn’t leave us alone in the cold to find our own way back. He searches us out. He calls to us. He draws us to Himself. And welcomes us into His loving embrace.

With a Shepherd like that, I consider it an honor to be one of His sheep.

“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”

— Luke 15:4-6