Like sheep you wandered away from God, but now you have returned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls who keeps you safe from all attacks. 1 Peter 2:25
Lately I have been talking with more and more Believers who are loaded down with the cares of this world. Their hearts are so heavy it shows on their faces and in their defeated words. It reminded me of the story of a sheep I heard about years ago and I believe now is a great time to share it again.
Shrek the sheep. became famous several years ago when he was found after hiding out in caves for six years. Of course, during this time his fleece grew without anyone there to shorn (shave) it. When he was finally found and shaved, his fleece weighed an amazing sixty pounds. Most sheep have a fleece weighing just under ten pounds, possibly reaching fifteen pounds depending on the size of the sheep. For six years then, Shrek carried around six times the regular weight of his fleece! Simply because he was away from his shepherd.
This reminds me of John 10 when Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd, and His followers are His sheep. Maybe it’s a stretch, but I think Shrek is much like a person who knows Jesus Christ but lets the cares and the things of this world weigh them down. They become so burdened they hide and refuse any help to take the weight off, instead they just keep putting more and more weight on themselves. When we refuse to take Jesus at His Word and believe in what it says and then rest in Him we allow our hearts and minds to become burdnened. When we read His Word and declare it over ourselves, those fears, worries, anxieties and stress, will all begin to fall off, and we will be lifted up and encouraged. Luke 4:18 tells us He came to set us free from all that wants to bind us. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us He didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind! And those are only two verses that speak to replacing those thoughts of defeat with thoughts of empowerment and victory.
When Shrek was found, a professional sheep shearer took care of Shrek’s fleece in twenty-eight minutes. Shrek’s sixty pound fleece was finally removed. All it took was coming home to his shepherd and allowing him to remove the extra weight. Jesus died and rose again to make provision for us NOT to live with the weight of this world. I believe Christ can lift the burdens we carry, if only we stop hiding and let Him shave off our ‘fleece’—that is, our self-imposed burdens brought about by wandering from our Good Shepherd.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30
Leave a Reply