In Need of a Shepherd

John Graves taught writing at the University of Texas and Texas Christian University. His best-known book is Goodbye to a River. With the proceeds from the success of that book, Graves bought some land in Somerville County, southwest of Fort Worth, where he dabbled in raising some crops and livestock. His most fruitful product from that land, however, was his observations about the land and about life. He collected these thoughts in a book entitled Hard Scrabble: Observations on a Patch of Land.

He had a sense of stewardship of the land, and was critical of those who in earlier years had overgrazed the area by putting too many cows on a patch of land. He said, “They load cows in there until their tails are hanging over the fences.”

He himself tried only a few cows and goats. He never grew any sheep, citing the old adage, “A goat is looking for a place to get out; a sheep is looking for a place to die.”

I’ve had a little experience with both goats and sheep. My dad once tried raising goats. He fenced up a patch of land for them and built a shed with a low roof. The goats that he bought did not appreciate either one very much. They stayed outside the patch more than inside, and, as far as I know, they never went into the goat shed. They spent all of their time on its roof.

When I was in junior high, my brother and I tried raising sheep for the state fair. We had visions of becoming rich in this enterprise, but it didn’t work out the way we had planned. The sheep wouldn’t eat and gain weight. They were sickly and required constant grooming to keep their wool looking decent. While they didn’t eat much, they ate more feed than we could pay for when we sold them after they didn’t make the cut at the state fair. If our mom and dad hadn’t bailed us out, we would have had to declare bankruptcy at an early age.

Sheep by nature require a lot of attention. If you don’t put them in an enclosed area, they tend to wander off and get lost. An attentive shepherd is needed. One of history’s most famous shepherds was Little Bo Peep. Unfortunately, she was not a very good shepherd because she lost her sheep. Whoever it was that gave her advice about what to do didn’t know much about sheep either because he advised, “Leave them alone and they will come home, bringing their tails behind them.” Sheep seldom come home on their own.

Jesus told about a good shepherd who had to go out looking for a lost sheep. He spared no effort until he found the lost sheep, put it on his shoulders, and came home rejoicing.

The Bible says that we can rejoice because the Lord is our shepherd. He guides us to places of nourishment, rest, and fulfillment. He walks with us through every dangerous and demanding place. He is the Good Shepherd who meets all of our needs. We can absolutely rely on Him!