a Pinch of Rocky

Rocky and My Shepherd

"Jesus Christ is My Shepherd"

Have you ever seen a baby sheep? Our friends, J & A, have a farm and just bought a flock of sheep. A whole flock! They found a good deal on Craigslist, and purchased 16 sheep. There were mommy sheep, one daddy sheep, and tons of little baby lambs. They are the cutest little fuzz balls that I have ever seen!

About a week after they got the sheep, one of the younger teenage sheep, who they didn’t even know was pregnant, had a little baby sheep in the middle of the night. While in lamb-birth, the mama found herself surrounded by some coyotes outside of her barn. As you would expect, she was a little distressed and when early morning came, J & A heard some soft whining. To their surprise, they found a baby lamb. The mama sheep still wants nothing to do with it, she actually tries to kill it! They think she might associate the lamb with the coyotes. It is very sad.

But now, J & A have their own little lamb! It is adorable and so tiny, and I fall in love every time that I see it. That being said, I am REALLY glad that J & A have a lamb and that we deal strictly with humans. J & A take turns bottle feeding the lamb every four hours, even during the night time. It has become so attached to them, that he cries every time J & A are around but busy doing something else. The lamb, Rocky, is such a huge handful, that they have tossed around the idea of selling him (or eating him), a few times. They are too attached now, so they never would hurt that baby. In fact, they are very protective of Rocky, and very sensitive to how he is adapting to his farm life.

I thought of Rocky a lot this week while doing the reading for my religion class. We are learning about Jesus Christ as our shepherd. Because of my recent experience in lamb-li-ness, I am able to gain a little prospective on the topic. I don’t think I could handle the care of one little Rocky, much less millions and millions of little Rockys!

In John 10, Christ is compared to a shepherd. I learned from my manual that shepherds back in those days were very faithful and loyal to their sheep. They would even give their own life in protection of their sheep. They kept their sheep in a sheepfold at night, which is big, tall walls, that have sharp points sticking out of the top to keep predators out. There was only one way in, the door. At nighttime, one shepherd would watch several different flocks of sheep in the sheepfold, and he would stand guard at the door while all the other shepherds slept in their homes.

Vocab: That shepherd standing guard was called a porter.

When the sun came up, the shepherds would return to the sheepfold to collect their sheep. The porter personally recognized each shepherd, so he would allow only shepherds to go in to get sheep out. Here is where it gets interesting.

Verse 10 reads: “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.”

When the shepherds would go in to the sheepfold, each shepherd would call his flock and lead them to where they were headed that day. The sheep were so attached to the shepherd, that they actually recognized their master by his voice! Up until the last few weeks, I would have been shocked that that could happen. But because of my experience with Rocky, I totally believe that! I have seen Rocky search out only the A in J & A, and whine to be fed. I believe that each one of those sheep in the sheepfold can tell when their master is the one calling.

In verse 5 states: “ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”

There are several things that our lesson for this assignment touched on, but this was the part that touched my heart the most this week. Which leads me in to a few questions:

How is Jesus Christ like those shepherds?

First, he would do anything for the sheep. We know that because he already did. The porter would do anything for the sheep, even give up his own life. Christ, who loved each of us so much gave his own life as a humble sacrifice to save us.

Second, Jesus Christ knows each of us individually. The shepherd knows his sheep, he can even call them each by name. What a marvelous blessing it is to know that the Savior knows me, personally, and loves me as an individual!

Third, His sheep know His voice. When a shepherd calls his sheep, they come. When someone else calls them, they are scared and confused. 

How do we know if we are one's of the Savior's fold?

A good way to tell if you are part of the Savior's fold, is to ask yourself, "can I recognize the Savior's voice?" Can I listen to the words of the of the Savior, and know that it is Him? Part of being able to recognize His voice means that I have to be able to hear it. Are there distractions all around me that prevent me from hearing my shepherd? Can I hear words of divinity and recognize them as truth?

I can't imagine the love that the Savior must feel for each of us, to be able to give His own life in behalf of this crazy flock. I am so grateful that he knows me by name, and that he wants me to be a part of His flock so bad, that he suffered the Atonement in my behalf. I feel honored to be a part of His flock!