Come Sheep with Me

Okay, I admit it. I've been part of the bandwagon that disses sheep, consigning them to the category of all things stupid. My mindset hasn't come from first-hand interaction with the creatures, but from stories read or heard about them. Stories about their repeating the same activities that got them into a bind. Panic that causes them to run towards danger instead of away from it. Herd mentality that prompts them to mindlessly follow the leader and do crazy things like jump off a cliff. If I had hung around sheep, I might have figured out that they in fact have some characteristics that are so cool that, once I did learn of them, they made me exclaim, "Wow! I'm actually glad Jesus compared us to sheep! There's way more to them than being 'dumb'!"

In the interest of not boring you, I will refrain from listing all the nifty attributes I ran across—singularly edgy elements such as their rectangular pupils with unique abilities, for one—once I  started looking into sheep info. The particular feature I'd like to delve into is one I'm fairly certain you're already aware of; lately, however, it has been beckoning me, calling me, speaking to me. The wonder of it just fills me with awe. And it is simply this: sheep are ruminants. Their digestive system is composed in part by four stomachs, meaning they graze, regurgitate, and chew the same stuff again. It is this characteristic that has been calling to me, filling me with wonder.

Time and again Jesus called His children sheep. And what do sheep do? They chew the cud. They ingest food, then eat it again (as cud) before swallowing it and digesting it. Chew. Rechew. Swallow. Digest.

What does this say to us, His metaphorical sheep? Jesus says He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). He, His Words, the Bible, are our spiritual food. As sheep we should eat (read) His Words, and then, good little sheep that we are, we should chew on them again, and again ... until we are able to digest those wonderful, life-giving Words, absorbing all the vital nutrients that will make us healthy sheep, strong unwavering children of God.

A word in the Bible similar to ruminating (which can mean to turn a thought over and over and over in one's mind) is meditate. It so happens that there are 14 instances of meditate used as a verb in the King James Bible, and 6 as a noun, for a grand total of twenty. Verses such as Joshua 1:8, where God commands Joshua to "meditate" on His Words day and night. Verses such as Psalm 1:2, where the writer characterizes the righteous man as one who meditates on God's law day and night.

Something pretty amazing happens when a sheep chews the cud. The food it chews descends deeper into its four-part stomach. Why? So that the maximum amount of nutrients can be extracted from that food. Think of what that means to us, God's metaphorical sheep who eat His Word. It means that while it is good to read God's Word, it's even better to think about a passage that we read, turn it over in our minds, ponder its meaning, sometimes even memorizing it. When we do that, God's Word does more than slip in and out of our minds like slippery food on a Teflon pan. Meditating on God's Word helps us digest it, extract all the good we can from a passage. It helps us turn two dimensional words on a page into what they really are—words with life altering power. Words that help us walk as we should before God (Psalm 119:11). Words that equip us to serve God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Words that help us fight our enemy (Ephesians 6:17). Words that help us live as God would have us live (Matthew 4:4). Words that fill us with hope (Romans 15:4).

There is one point about ruminating, though, in which literal sheep and God's sheep should differ. Both farmers and scientists alike say that when sheep chew the cud, they are relaxed, stress-free. Their keepers love to see this harmony, this indication that the sheep are in a good state of mind as well as a good state physically. In this God's sheep are the same. When they dwell on God's Word, ruminating, turning it over in their mind, digesting it into their spirit, they experience a state of calm and peace, a feeling of unparalleled oneness with the Creator that at times give birth to life-changing epiphanies. But ... when physical sheep feel threatened, guess what—they quit chewing the cud in order to remain alert. This is where we, God's flock, should not emulate our physical cohorts. When we feel threatened, when we are in a state of alarm, that is when we should chew the cud more fervently, more strenuously, clinging to God's Word as our very real lifeline. "This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word has quickened me (Psalm 119:50).

So, aside from freaking out during stressful times and their other painfully negative attributes, shouldn't we embrace all the good things sheep are? Yes, of course! And one of the ways we can celebrate the good characteristics of sheep is by "chewing the cud," living a life of ruminating—meditating, getting all the nutrients we can from our spiritual food, God's Word. As I skip through the meadows of life, while I wash dishes, I think about His Word. While I drive the car, I think about His Word. While I pull out weeds in the garden, I think about His Word. Think, ponder, meditate—internalize and make it mine.

Come be a sheep with me. Let's make our Good Shepherd proud and chew the cud.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all" (1 Timothy 4:15).