Watching Over the Flock

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 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds.

Proverbs 27:23

This is the time of year where we are constantly in the barn.  We have to check sheep for lambs, feed bottle babies, lots of feeding and mucking stalls, and so much more.  The work seems like it never stops and just when you think it does, then something stops you in your tracks and you head right back to the barn. 

Recently, I found myself once again back at the barn late at night after a scare with horse behaviors that were mimicking colic.  The boys had done the barn check and fed the lambs and heard strange sounds from Shawna's pen.  They found her not eating (way out of character) and pawing at the ground.  Now Shawna is known for some leg pain this time of year because of the mud, but this seemed a little off so they came and got me.  After some checking, I found that it really was her leg and gave her some pain medicine, stayed with her for a bit, fed her some treats and once she started eating hay again we parted ways for the night.  This incident though reminded me of how the Lord views us. 

As I sat with Shawna that night, I realized that God sees us the way we see our animals.  They are our flock, and we are his.  This world is currently in a state in which we are all struggling to understand, yet our one constant is God.  He is always there to watch over his flock, he pays attention to his herd. Regardless if we are ill, maybe a little off, or just not performing at our best he is right there to hold our hand.  

God is our protector, our provider, and ultimately our best friend.  Just like I provided Shawna with all those things, I can find them from God as well.  Its often a well told secret that Shawna is the favorite horse, and when we hear she is not feeling well, we all jump up.  Maybe it is because she was here first, maybe there was just so much we both (well all of us) learned about horses with her, or maybe it is just her personality.  Even though she is considered the "favorite"  we still watch over them all.  The boys have their "favorite" sheep, yet we watch the entire flock.  We have to remember that when we are off God is watching us just like that farmer watches over their animals.  

The incident was small in nature, but big on the heart because of how I realized a farmer is put on this earth to watch over the animals that God provided for us, and God is to watch over us people.  In all this craziness of the world, be sure that you are taking time to pause, reflect, pray, and turn to God so that he can continue to watch over his flock and keep us strong. 

Farming with Faith and Family
God Bless, 
Amanda 

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