Lessons From the Barnyard
By Jeannine
Sawall
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither
shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."
John 10:27-28 (NIV)
Do you ever wonder why the Lord
calls us His sheep? There are a lot of lessons we can learn about our Christian
walk from the barnyard if we just stop and look for a moment. Sheep are
animals who long to be with their Shepherd. When he calls, they
respond. They love to be in community with other sheep and don’t often
wander from the flock. They are content to just sit and graze on the lush
grass and will only move on when the Shepherd calls to the flock. And a sheep
desires to be clean. They try to avoid the thickets that will catch in their
wool and entrap them. If they get mud on them, they do whatever they have to to
clean the mud off their wool, unlike a pig, who likes to stay and wallow in the
mud.
As Christians, it would do our
spiritual lives good if we adopted “sheeply” behaviors. When the Lord calls, do
we respond immediately? Do we recognize His voice above all
others? Do we long to be in the company of other believers encouraging one
another? And if we have wandered off, do we respond as soon as we hear His
voice and hurry back? Do we find His Word nourishment on a daily basis and
contentedly take in the lessons He’s teaching us until He moves us forward? And
how do we deal with the sin in our lives? Do we avoid the temptations that
easily ensnare and entangle us, or do we head straight for the thicket? When we
find ourselves in sin, do we casually excuse it with the phrase "Everyone
sins!" and continue in the filth like a pig, or do we do whatever it takes
to turn 180 degrees, remove the dirt from us and continue to sin no more?
The Lord calls us His sheep for a
good reason. They provide a vivid image on how to respond to our Lord. Sheep
long to be with each other and the Shepherd more than anything else. And even
if we wander, the Shepherd comes after us, wanting us to respond to His
promptings. We need to go no further than a barnyard to learn these spiritual
lessons. The Shepherd is calling to us; it's our privilege to respond like a
sheep to His voice.
GOING DEEPER:
1. How do you respond when you
hear the Good Shepherd’s voice calling you?
2. What do you do when you
find yourself in sin?
FURTHER READING:
Jeannine is a wife and mother of four great
boys. She works in the property management business. Jeannine serves in several
behind-the-scenes ministries at Oakwood and has a heart for those who are
grieving.
