Sheep Lesson #1: Eye Level

We had a mad morning dash through wonderland, and at 11pm I’m still breathless!

I awoke at 5:30am and dragged my family out of bed by 6:30 so we could get to the farmers’ market by 7:15 at the latest. Our mission: to find someone selling sheep.

No one there sold sheep, but they knew a waitress at the local diner who knew a sheep farmer.

The waitress was on vacation, but our very friendly waiter suggested we visit the feed store.

We finished the generous helping of pancakes, eggs and home fries, we visited the feed store. While convincing Kenzie that we weren’t there to buy a duckling (no matter how cute the duckling was), we learned the name of the local sheep farmer: Walter.

Walter showed us around his farm, but said he wouldn’t have any lambs ready for another month.

We did get to see a lamb who’d been born 3 or 4 hours before we got there, and we did get to pet this absolutely adorable Hampshire lamb. Priceless.

Walter told us about TJ, who might have ewe lambs ready to sell.

We called and left a message.

While we waited, we visited yet another feed store.

Then, that perfect moment happened: we received a phone call and an invitation to visit the farm immediately!

TJ and his family were so sweet and personable and down to earth!

And from them I learned my first sheep lesson. If you crouch down to eye level, the sheep will come to you gladly and willingly.

Morning swelled into afternoon, and it didn’t look like we were getting our lambs. We had to go home to care for the chickens and do some yard work.

That’s when my husband told me: TJ was going to drop off two of their ewes to us this afternoon. And with the gift we’d received two days ago we could easily afford both lambs.

Rachel and Leah

This meant that my husband had to finish building a pen for them–fast. He did a marvelous job too!

Our twelfth anniversary present to one another this year: sheep.

What a fantastic present too! We’ve learned so much from these sheep! And from God through these sheep.

The biggest lesson by far has been about eye level.

When I crouched down and stretched out my hand, these two adorable ewes came right up to me and displayed tender affection.

In the Bible, God often refers to people as His sheep.

And He came down onto our level, into our day to day lives, meek and lowly, utterly humbled, and stretched out His hands toward us. All day long, as I thought about this, my heart burst with blooms of thankfulness I’d never known of before.

And while I go to hit my pillow in anticipation of my first full day as a shepherdess tomorrow, I think of Jesus, the Great Shepherd of our souls. He came down to our level. And how I want to be close, oh so close to Him. He came so close that He even became a Lamb. Oh! How I love this Man!