Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons this happens. And if that lamb is returned to the ewe, she may even kick the poor thing away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.
Those rejected lambs walk with their heads hanging so low it almost looks as if something is wrong with their necks. Their posture tells the story—their spirit is broken.
They are called “bummer lambs.” And unless a shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die—rejected, alone, and vulnerable.
So what does the shepherd do?
He takes that rejected little lamb into his own home. He hand-feeds it. He keeps it warm by the fire. He wraps it in blankets and holds it close to his chest so the lamb can hear his heartbeat. And when the lamb is strong enough, the shepherd carries it back to the field and places it among the rest of the flock.
But that sheep never forgets how the shepherd cared for it when its mother rejected it. So when the shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to him first?
That’s right—the bummer sheep.
It knows his voice intimately.
It isn’t that the bummer lamb is loved more.
It simply knows—deeply and personally—the One who loves it.
It isn’t loved more than the others.
It just believes it, because it has experienced that love one on one.
So many of us are bummer lambs—rejected, wounded, and broken. But He is the Good Shepherd. He cares for our every need. He holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat.
We may be broken, but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
— Psalm 23
