Sheep Story

So I've been thinking of this thing that happened several weeks ago, and the God lesson in it.

I was weeding the garden beds and I was throwing the weeds in a pile in the corner of the sheep paddock. Yes, you heard me right. Sheep. Six of them, cute as can be, although desperately overdue for shearing. So as I was tossing weeds by the handful I had a particular weed that was a long and sticky ivy weed. It had a substance on the stems that caused it to cling to things. I thought the sheep would especially like it as it was ivy. I didn't think it would be a nuisance. So in it went. 

One particular sheep sauntered over to it and began to nibble away. But just as quick as that, the ivy clung to the sheep's wool. The sheep kept nibbling, but the ivy kept sticking, framing his wee little face with a green frame.

Not so happy was the sheep after a minute. At every attempt to drag his head on the grass to remove the ivy, it stuck more fiercely. I saw the sheep start panicking and thought I would help. I climbed over the fence. But instead of letting me help, the sheep took one look at me and bolted. Shy little sheep. I crouched low and tried to approach it, knowing just one gentle tug would dislodge the plant which now covered much of the animal's frontside, face and eyes. The sheep kept dodging me, bleating loudly. I then found a long stick and attempted to get close enough to brush the ivy away. The sheep was too quick for my efforts and ran further away.

I eventually resigned myself and exited the paddock, knowing I couldn't force my help. I could have spared the sheep the distress it was suffering. But I had to leave it. As it dragged its head and shook its coat the other sheep looked on disinterestedly.

I thought... this is how God must feel when He sees one of us suffering with some silly thing, let's call it sin, stuck on us. Like a good parent wanting to wipe the mud or the sauce off their wee one. But we run away and demand to do it ourselves, or maybe we don't think it's a big deal. So God sighs, leaves us alone to sulk, and offers His help periodically. We wear ourselves out. We bleat. We panic. We have green mossy ivy stuck all over our face.  And all the while God waits, throws His hands up and says wearily, "My child, won't you let Me help you?"

Let me encourage you to let God remove the ivy. You can't keep dragging your head in the dirt bleating forever. Just let Him help you. He's a very good parent.