Tuesday's Treasured Glance - Crazy Sheep

   This small herd went through a few emotions, if you will, before grazing peacefully in this pasture. I ran up on these escapees while coming around a sharp curve on the back roads leading home. With the herd split, and having had similar sheep on our farm, I knew it would take very little to create a frantic chaos of sheep leaping and running about like wild deer if they became scared. Approaching slowly, I waited for the sheep on the right to blindly dart in front of my car to join the herd. Instead, mama, with that crazed look of fear in her eyes, lead her babies to the dangers looming in the middle of the road. She was ready to flee, taking the rest of the herd with her.
   Luckily, their shepherd showed up. Not the kind with a

staff. No, the four-legged variety. The Great Pyrenees farm dog. I watched in my side view mirror as he slumbered out the driveway towards the threat of danger. Sensing the protection of his presence, panic ceased among the sheep. One squirrel-headed ewe was already heading to a field of beautiful grass she had just spotted. And just like that everyone joined her and there was peace in the pasture again.
   Panic can be seen running rampant in our lives these days with all the empty shelving in grocery stores. Common everyday items sold completely out. Just like sheep, when a few began to panic, the whole population can go a little crazy. When we pause for a moment to take a deep breath and look around, we too can find our good shepherd watching our back. If we find ourselves a little lost and ready to flee in fear, we can listen for his voice and focus instead on the guidance he gives as nudges in the right direction. Like sheep know the voice of their shepherd, we too can learn to identify the voice of our shepherd by reading his word.