.gif)
My husband and I recently spent a weekend in Adams,
Massachusetts, helping our son and his wife move into their newly-purchased
home in Adams, Massachusetts. Along with
a cozy, multi-story home, the property includes 70 acres of pristine Berkshire
wildnerness and… a sheep. Our son had
told me about Minnie, and as an animal lover, I was looking forward to meeting
her. And though I thought I knew what to
expect, I found my weekend with Minnie to contain more lessons than I had
anticipated.
We arrived just after dark on Friday evening, and as we were
unloading our car, Minnie came out of the shadows to investigate the
action. I was excited to make friends,
and I happily took one of the “sheep biscuits” (aka peanut-butter flavored dog
biscuits) from the tin on the back porch and approached Minnie cautiously and
slowly. She was clearly not sure about
me, but she most certainly recognized the biscuit in my outstretched hand. She overcame her fear long enough to take the
biscuit and then immediately backed away. As I held my ground and talked quietly to her,
she proceeded to engage in a dance: a few steps toward me, followed by a few
steps back. She repeated this routine
several times, friendly, but as our son would say, “sheepish.” Minnie wanted to be friends, too, but she
couldn’t quite get herself to come close enough to touch me, and eventually she
walked away.
The next morning was much the same: Minnie happily took the
biscuit from my hand, proceeded to do her back-and-forth dance, and then walked
away, much to my disappointment. It
bothered me more than a little that I wanted to be friends more than she
did.
Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning were more
encouraging. When Minnie saw me coming
out of the house and walking toward her area, she came trotting to me and
greeted me with a knowing “Baa.” After
taking the biscuit she did her dance, but this time, her steps toward me
included a soft touch of her muzzle on my hand.
She remained wary, though, and those steps were always followed by steps
backward. Still, I was thrilled at our
progress, and I was sorry to leave before a relationship was firmly in place.
As I’ve pondered my weekend with Minnie, I have come to
realize how apt the Biblical comparison of people to sheep under God the Good Shepherd
is. The truth of the matter is that
Minnie is not particularly attractive: her round wooly body sits atop spindly
legs, her eyes are set too far apart to gaze into, and her coat is full of
brush, leaves, and dirt. And yet, I was
completely captivated by her and wanted nothing more than to get to know her
and have her get to know me. Her desire
to keep safely to herself was maddening.
And so I have been blessed with a brief glimpse into how God
sees me. I am far dirtier with sin than
Minnie will ever get living on our son’s property. I like my safe places and am tempted to come
to my Shepherd only when I really need or want something. But God delights in my presence and wants to
enjoy a growing, deepening, abiding relationship with me. As much as I can’t wait to see Minnie again,
I can direct my sheepish thoughts toward my Shepherd and enjoy His company.
