He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. Isaiah 40:11
From time to time a lamb is born and the mother may die during or soon after birth, she may have triplets and not able to sustain feeding all of them, she also may not produce enough mile for even one, or the saddest reason, she rejects the lamb. All of these scenarios produce what is called a Bummer Lamb.
No matter what the reason, these lambs need to be cared for by the shepherd. If the shepherd doesn’t intervene, these lambs will become cold, malnourished and develop broken spirits, they actually hang their heads so low it looks like something is wrong with it. But it’s just lack of nurturing and won’t make it. The first thing that needs to happen is to get the lambs warm, because when they are cold they won’t eat nor be able to digest the milk. Wrapping them in blankets with a heating bag or water bottle and keeping them near a heat source work well, but so does holding and cuddling them since normally they would get their warmth from their mothers, and they can also hear the heartbeat.
Once the lamb is cared for, in about 6-8 weeks it’s returned to the other sheep during the day so it can learn how to be a sheep. Then it’s brought in at night for protection and warmth. No wonder the Bible speaks so often comparing us to sheep. Even when we have caring families, life in many ways can reject us and the only the Lord our Shepherd can tend to or needs. He holds us close to His heart and keeps us warm in His presence. He feeds us with His word and nourishes us when He speaks to us through Holy Spirit. As we grow and develop He encourages to be with other Believers so we can be lifted up and encourage one another. But He also reminds us we need to come back to Him for protection and comfort. When the shepherd goes out to call the lambs in, it’s the Bummer lambs that come first and often because they are so familiar with humans go to schools, fairs and other events to show how to raise sheep. Perhaps we all should be more like Bummer lambs with the Chief Shepherd.
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