How to Get Through Struggles To Green Pastures On The Other Side

I absolutely love this brilliant woman! Jenny Marrs and I often connect over caring for and learning from our beloved sheep, as we have both spent countless early mornings and cold nights tending to these innocent, defenseless creatures.  And in the midst of our own seasons of uncertainty, or fear, or struggle, how can we, like sheep, figure out how to trust God, who is always our faithful, Good Shepherd? I just cherish this woman and it’s an incredible delight to welcome Jenny to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Jenny Marrs

A typical morning here on the farm finds me on our front porch, steaming mug in hand, welcoming the new day while watching our animals graze contentedly in the pasture.

Yet yesterday morning, I noticed that, because our weather had been unusually hot and dry, our front pasture was no longer a lush and vibrant green, instead it was a barren brown.

As I watched the sheep struggle to find a measly morsel of grass, I knew we needed to move the animals to another field in order to let their normal pasture rest and recover. In the new field, they would have fresh grass, a new pond, and plenty of shade. 

Once the new pasture’s fences were secure, we brought over Sadie (our horse), Daddy Donk, and Alfie (our alpaca). These three are best buds and walked over together, entering their new pasture with ease and confidence.

The sheep were a different story. Teddy and Earl (our rams) were fairly easy to move. However, Earl kept getting distracted by patches of grass or wildflowers.

He tended to wander off the path and wouldn’t listen to my gentle nudging (“Focus, Earl. Focus . . .”). Teddy, meanwhile, followed me diligently. He was born to my first bottle-fed sheep, Trixie, several years ago, and as one of Trixie’s kids, he trusts me and follows my voice faithfully.

Next up, Snowy and Baa Baa and her kids: Mary, Daisy, Ben, and Nate. Baa Baa was adopted from another farm and when she came to us, she was extremely timid and skittish. As a result of her wariness—despite years of trying to win her over with kindness and an ample supply of treats—her lambs have always been skittish as well.

This made moving them to a new pasture extremely difficult. Every time we started to guide the flock toward the new pasture, one would panic and bolt off in the wrong direction and the rest would follow suit.

“Yes, I pray my children find their own faith, not a copycat version of my own. Yet if the foundation of trustworthiness is built now, it will be much easier for them to seek His voice amidst the chaos of the world later.“

It took hours of patiently guiding the herd, allowing them to rest when needed, and calmly assuring them of their safety, to finally get them corralled in the sheep barn.

Once they were safely tucked inside, we used cattle panels in order to direct the sheep along a walled-off path. But after they made it through, they ran off in the wrong direction and became trapped between a thorny bramble bush and the opposite side of the new pasture fence.

Eventually, painstakingly, we guided them to the correct fence and cheered joyfully as they crossed the threshold and we latched the gate behind them.

While moving sheep between pastures is likely a foreign concept to you, dear reader, I have done it enough times to know that, at least for our little hobby farm, this experience is pretty typical.

As I tried desperately to assure these gentle creatures that this move was for their benefit and they had nothing to be afraid of, I was convicted of my own ability to panic and run off course when God is leading me toward something new.

Similar to when I was first approached to film a television show—my natural inclination was to say no and stay doing what I was already doing. The new thing being asked of me was scary and it felt safer to avoid this new path rather than to walk down it into the unknown.

I was also reminded of the importance of recounting the stories of God’s faithfulness in my life to my kids (like Teddy—he trusts me because his mom, Trixie, knew I was trustworthy). Yes, I pray my children find their own faith, not a copycat version of my own. Yet if the foundation of trustworthiness is built now, it will be much easier for them to seek His voice amidst the chaos of the world later.

Working to guide the skittish sheep, I realized it is certainly no coincidence that the Bible refers to “sheep” no less than 220 times.

W. Phillip Keller, a writer and an actual shepherd by trade, writes in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23:

“There were events which at the time seemed like utter calamities; there were paths down which He led me that appeared like blind alleys; there were days He took me through which were well nigh black as night itself. But all in the end turned out for my benefit and my well-being. With my limited understanding as a finite human being I could not always comprehend His management executed in infinite wisdom. With my natural tendencies to fear, worry, and ask “why,” it was not always simple to assume that He really did know what He was doing with me. There were times I was tempted to panic and to leave His care. Somehow I had the strange, stupid notion I could survive better on my own.”

This morning, on the other side of that move, my sheep are in the west-facing pasture, grazing contentedly on the abundant grass.

They feared the move, they fought against the move, they seemingly had the “strange, stupid notion” that they could survive better on their own. Yet, as their shepherd, I knew better.

“I knew there were green pastures awaiting them just on the other side of the struggle“

I knew there were green pastures awaiting them just on the other side of the struggle. I knew they were headed toward something better than the field with meager offerings where they would’ve stayed simply because it was known and comfortable.

Yes, the path to get there was rocky and scary but I never left them.

I was right there, guiding them, assuring them.

When they veered off course, I didn’t get angry. I knew they were afraid. I gently, lovingly, patiently reminded them that I was right there.

They could trust me.

Now and in the future, I would never let them down.

And this morning, I can understand a little better why God often calls us His sheep.

And why He can be trusted as my Good Shepherd.

Jenny Marrs is co-hosts of the HGTV TV show Fixer to Fabulous with her husband, Dave, and is a designer, author, and passionate advocate for community transformation, family preservation, and orphan care around the globe. She is the author of House + Home = Love, and she and Dave live on a small farm in Bentonville, Arkansas, with their five kids and too many animals to count.

Jenny’s book, Trust God, Love People opens wide the doors to her life and her family’s home to share stories of how little steps of faith have added up to an unexpected and abundant life. From her move to Bentonville, Arkansas, to the sweet stories of how she met Dave and of their early days of marriage, to the candid pain and hope of their time spent waiting to start a family before joyfully welcoming their twin boys. We also get intimate glimpses into their years-long fight to adopt their daughter Sylvie from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as behind-the-scenes details about how their work to restore old homes became Fixer to Fabulous. 

Through it all, Jenny learns that God is trustworthy even in the moments when she feels fearful, worn out, or dejected.

Trust God, Love People is an inspiring blueprint for anyone wanting to build a life of spacious love and abundant joy. Opening this book is opening the door to the kind of really beautiful life of large love you’ve always imagined! Trust God, Love People is a guiding principle in Jenny’s life, and serves as an irresistible invitation that steadfast trust in our faithful, loving God allows us to love others well.

You can see more of Jenny on her Instagram, @jennymarrs, and her blog at  https://www.daveandjennymarrs.com/.

{Our humble thanks to Random House for their partnership in today’s devotional.}