August 10, 2020
I Want to Be a Bummer Lamb
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
The stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone (Psalm 118;22, NCV).
Friend to Friend
I want to be a bummer lamb. Now I know what you are thinking but stay with me. I have been fascinated with sheep since I was a little girl. We lived on a farm and I really did have a little lamb. My daddy gave me that lamb. Actually, it was a trade. I was having trouble giving up my bottle. And daddy said the poor little lamb didn’t have any way to eat. So, I traded my bottle for the lamb. A sweet deal all around. And a fascination with sheep was born.
While reading an article about sheep, I discovered an interesting fact about sheep. Ewes will occasionally give birth to a lamb … and then reject it. If that lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother wants nothing to do with the lamb and may even kick the poor lamb away. Evidently, once an ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind. Sheep are stubborn critters.
These lambs hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. But there isn’t. Their spirit is simply broken. These lambs are called bummer lambs. The lamb will die unless the Shepherd intervenes.
Do you know what the Shepherd does? He adopts that little lamb. The Shepherd takes the lamb everywhere He goes. He hand-feeds it and keeps it warm by the fire. He wraps it in a blanket and holds it to His chest so the bummer lamb can hear his heartbeat. When the bummer lamb is old enough and strong enough, the Shepherd returns it to the flock.
But that lamb – now a sheep – never forgets what the Shepherd did for him. When the Shepherd calls his flock, guess who runs to Him first? Yes – the bummer sheep.
Why?
Because the bummer sheep immediately recognizes the Shepherd’s voice. He had grown from being a rejected lamb to being a chosen sheep. I wonder if the bummer lamb was loved more than all the other sheep. No. It is just that the little lamb knew the Shepherd intimately. He had grown up hearing the Shepherd’s voice and listening to the Shepherds heartbeat. Because he was rejected, the bummer lamb – the broken lamb, knew the Shepherd in a way none of the other sheep did.
You may be broken and rejected today. You may feel like a bummer lamb. Rejoice! The Good Shepherd will gather you in His arms and hold you close so you can hear His very heartbeat. And you can rest there until you are healed and whole again.
Let’s Pray
Father, I am broken and rejected. Unloved and unwanted. And then you came into my life and made me whole. Thank You, Lord, for what You have done. Your love saved me. Your grace covered me. I am Yours. Help me hear Your voice above all the rest … and I will come to You.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
One of my favorite worship songs is “Come to the Altar.” Find some time to spend alone with God and let the truths of these lyrics sink into your soul.
Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Jesus is calling.
Have you come to the end of yourself?
Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling.
O come to the altar
The Father's arms are open wide.
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ
Leave behind your regrets and mistakes.
Come today, there's no reason to wait.
Jesus is calling.
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes, a new life is born
Jesus is calling.
Oh, what a Savior
Isn't He wonderful?
Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen
Bow down before Him…
More from the Girlfriends
Jesus is drawn to broken people. We are why He came. I want to encourage you to begin journaling. You can write a sentence one day and a paragraph the next. Just start looking for God’s handprints in your life and record them in a journal.
I created a Joy Journal to help women learn to choose a perspective of joy! I pray it helps you start seeing your Shepherd each and every day.
Need prayer? Our prayer team is committed to praying for you. Email your requests to our prayer team director, Ginger Meador, at gjmeador@comcast.net.
Originally published Monday, 10 August 2020.
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