This is one passage that I enjoyed in this lovely book,
The only sheep I kept at the ranch house were “the bums,” as orphan lambs were called in sheep parlance. They needed special care and I needed them. At the homestead they had been given their bottles of heated milk before we left the cabin, and then they followed the bunch, never very far ahead of me, however. I am sure they looked on me as just another old ewe. They were an engaging and endearing group, gamboling along the trail, playing and jumping, appreciative to a degree, the gentlest of all pets, for that is what they grew into…
As grown ewes, the former “bums” never seemed to forget the care they had received and were often leaders, cooperative and usually obedient.
Margaret Duncan Brown
Sheep are generally prone to fear and panic. Like us, they follow the wrong paths easily. No wonder the Lord is called the Good Shepherd, because he knows where to seek his sheep. No one can find rest without his special care, and those who rely upon him most come to know him best.
The Good Shepherd never gives up on us. Will we have eyes to see his efforts to help?
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick…
Ezekiel 33:16