What I Learned From the Sheep and the Goat

Last Sunday, we had a video chat session with my oldest son and some of our grandchildren for our Come Follow Me study.  When talking about the separation of nations at the end of Matthew 25, and the sheep on the right side and the goats on the left, one of my grandchildren asked about the significance of the goat and sheep.  None of us had a real profound answer, but being the farm girl, I offered what I knew.  I was raised on a dairy farm, but my brother worked at a neighboring sheep ranch for a while.  Somewhere in my memory I seemed to know that sheep follow the shepherd and goats typically don't.  That seemed to satisfy the question and certainly the reference to "The Shepherd" was understood.  I've thought about that since.  My metaphorical mind wanted a little more and seemed like there should be more.  I read a few things about the difference in the 2 animals that opened my mind to more symbolism and caused a bit of personal introspection.  I'll share what I read, but before I get to that, read a few verses in Matthew 25, just to refresh your memory.  

31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

The text goes on and you could pull out your scriptures to read the rest if you like.  But I'd like to just spell out some differences in the goat and the sheep here.   In Jewish and Hebrew history, they were both essential, both could be used for sacrifices as long as "unblemished" and both had important uses.  They could mingle together in the herd and often did and still do.  Perhaps the only reference to separating the 2 was because it was something easy for the Jewish people at that time to understand.  But I love how the parables and Christ's teachings take on meaning to us now in ways that we can understand too.  So put on your metaphorical mind and see what lessons pop into your head as I lay out some things I read.

As I mentioned above, the goat typically does not follow the shepherd, but the neutered male, the wether as it's called, can be trained and sometimes does follow.  But aside from this, they are much more independent and curious than the sheep and even if trained to follow, they don't need the shepherd. They are also described as obstinate.  Sheep not only follow the shepherd, but need or depend on the shepherd for direction and guidance. They are also described as submissive. The independence of the goat sometimes causes problems in the herd.  The goat is more aggressive. The sheep more docile and gentle, causing no problems in the herd. The word docile, in Webster's dictionary, is described as "readily trained or taught".  Because of this gentleness and lack of aggression, they depend on the shepherd not only for comfort, but for protection.  

The eating habits are of interest.  The sheep are grazers and they graze a lot.  In fact as I recall seeing herds of sheep, what I remember is their heads down to the ground, eating.  It's as if they can't get enough and are constantly nurturing themselves.  Interestingly, when they eat, they only eat what is on top of the ground, leaving the root to grow again and feed other sheep or themselves on another day.  Because they munch on the grasses that are low to the ground, they are constantly exposed to parasites and other diseases associated with the manure also on the ground.  However, because of the constant exposure to these things, they have a much higher immunity to the parasites and diseases and aren't effected much by them.  You might say they are stronger because of it.  The goat is not a grazer but a browser, a little here and little there, jumping around back and forth from one source to another.  They typically don't eat the ground food, at least not their preference. They will eat leaves, shrubs, vines, weeds often found at the tops of plants, off the ground, higher up.  Because of this, they are not exposed to the ground parasites that the sheep are exposed to.  When the goats are forced to eat from the ground, due to a lack of the preferable "higher up" food, they are effected more dramatically by the parasites and diseases.  They will also eat everything when eating from the ground, including the root, leaving nothing for later growth and later food and nourishment.  Of additional interest, goats will eat garbage too. They are not picky eaters.

Tail position was of interest to me too.  The tail of a goat is held up high, vertically.  The tail of the sheep hangs down low.  As I mentioned above, the sheep is typically a docile animal, but the male sheep can become aggressive when needed.  When he is aggressive, he keeps low, with his head low and butts with his head in a powerful forward motion.  The goat, in his aggressive state, raises up on his hind legs and attacks in a downward motion.  Goats naturally have horns and use them to establish dominance.  They often "pick fights". Most breeds of sheep do not have horns.  Goats like high places and often head "upwards".  They can follow in the herd, but prefer to lead and if given a chance will wonder off or even revert back to their wilder conditions.  Sheep are steady and stable.  

So is there more to learn from the separation of the sheep and goats here.  For me, I think there is.... pride and hotiness vs humility and teach ability;  selfishness vs unselfishness;  wandering nature vs steadfastness;  being taken down by the effects of trial vs gaining strength from those trials, and building our own spiritual immunity;  only need The Shepherd when convenient vs total full-time dependence on The Shepherd;  gaining spiritual nourishment in a browsing fashion vs a constant grazing upon the word.  I find the significance of the neutered male, being able to be taught to follow, a bit interesting.  Perhaps putting off the natural man??  Sorry, but I warned you that I have a metaphorical mind.  But seriously, is that not telling us that even the goat can learn and change? 

Yes, perhaps I've stretched this a bit far and perhaps none of this was what was intended by Christ when he taught this principle to his disciples.  But these things are what popped into my head as I read about the goat and sheep and isn't that the way we learn from the spirit.  Isn't that what a parable is all about, layers of learning for those that have ears to hear?  Sheep and goats can live and mingle in the same herd, just like we live and mingle with those all around us.  But there will be a separation in the end.  Oh, did I forget to mention the smell?  The male goat has a terrible offensive odor (except the neutered male), but I'm told if around them long enough, you won't notice the smell quite as much.  Hmmm, maybe a parable in that too.  I'd be interested to know what, if anything was in this for you to learn.  It could be entirely different than what I gained. 

One last thing..... a gentleman wrote about visiting Scotland and staying in a chalet.  His host had sheep that were out on the hillside, mingling with sheep from other nearby farms.  The host opened his back door and called them by using a Gaelic word which means "little sheep".  This man said it was more like a sound than a word, but when this sound was made, his sheep came running and the other sheep from the other farms kept grazing and did not even lift their heads.  The next day the man tried to imitate the sound and call the sheep in, but they wouldn't respond to him, only to his host, their master.  "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me"  John 10:27

"He Keeps the Happy Inside"

A few weeks back, Dave and I were in Washington for a new grandson baby blessing.  Sunday afternoon we had a big family dinner at the home of our daughter-in-law's family.  The gathering included a family devotional where the children were asked to share some of their favorite scripture stories.  Then they were asked who wanted to share their testimony.  Three year old Seirsha's hand went up like a shot.  I don't know if she knew what she was volunteering for, but I suspect she had a good idea.  However, she stood and said nothing for a minute or so.  Her aunt called Seirsha over and set her on her lap and said, "What do you believe?"  Seirsha answered, "Jesus".  Her aunt then asked, "What do you believe about Jesus?"  Without any hesitation, she said, "He keeps the happy inside."

I shared this story in a talk I was asked to give in Sacrament Meeting a week later.  For those reading this who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I will explain that a "talk" in Sacrament Meeting is what other churches would call a sermon.  Although we don't call it that.  We speak in the main meeting to the whole congregation from the pulpit about a gospel centered topic.  I have since had a debate with myself about whether or not I wanted to share what I spoke about with all of you in this blog.  Since you are reading this, you can figure out which side won that debate.  

I started out with a few questions to ponder.  What does a Christ centered home look like?  What does a Christ centered life look like?  What do these things feel like?  

After telling the story about Seirsha, I told of a time years ago in my life when I didn't have much happy inside. You might say, I was going through a very, very long trial.  I didn't share many details about that time in my talk and I'm not going to share them here.  They really don't matter.  But I will say that I was active in church, going every week, holding callings, even leadership callings.  My 3 oldest children had served missions and I should have been happier.  Something was obviously missing.  I could have blamed some external circumstances for that, blamed actions and choices of others, and maybe been justified in doing that by some standards, but what it came down to was the lack on my part of a personal relationship with my Savior.  Without that, I couldn’t make any changes in myself or my circumstances.  We had just moved into a different ward and stake and we almost immediately had a visit from the president of the Relief Society (women's organization in the Church) and also the Elder's Quorum President (men's group).  They were there to welcome us to the ward and assess any needs we might have.  Within a month or so, we started having visits from a home teacher who impressed me a lot. Brother Meacham was in his late 80s.  He was at our home faithfully every month with the traditional home teaching visit.  What impressed me about him was his willingness to do what he was assigned to do in the manner that he understood it should be done.  He had a lifetime of service behind him and he was not going to stop now.  I saw people in this new ward who were so impressive and I knew the Lord could count on them.  They were such an example to me.  One night, I prayed desperately to be someone the Lord could count on, because I knew that I was not.  Let's just say a long chain of events, over the span of several years, began to happen and change started to take place in me.  

Somewhere in that time frame, I had a dream.  In this dream I was looking for a home in a forest area.  I couldn't see very far off, due to the thick trees.  Then I came around a group of trees to a clearing.  I immediately knew that this is where my house would be, but I had to build it.  It wasn't there yet.  But what was there was a paved driveway coming up to where the garage would be, and the trees had been cleared and the ground leveled.  It was prepared and I now had to do my part to build it.  Now my dream fast forwards and I'm now in the newly built house showing someone around.  I walk from room to room and what I woke up remembering about this house is that there was a fireplace in every single room, even the kitchen, and a fire burning in every single fireplace.  As I was now awake from my dream and thinking about it, the words, 'the spirit of God like a fire is burning' came into my mind.

Now in my talk, I shifted gears and spoke about the parable of the 10 virgins.  You know the one, where the Bridegroom came and 5 of the virgins were ready with oil in their lamps and 5 had empty lamps, with no oil.  They had not prepared and were caught off guard.  (Matthew 25: 1-13)  A few questions that come to my mind are: What were those 2nd 5 doing ?  Why hadn't they filled their lamps?  Why couldn't those 1st 5 share their oil with the last 5?  An eye opener for me was when I learned that Elder Bruce R McConkie stated that all 10 of those virgins represent members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who were all looking for the 2nd coming.  Elder Lynn G Robbins of the Seventy said in a talk titled Oil In Our Lamps:

The ten virgins, according to Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “represent those church members who are looking for the Bridegroom to come; and the oil-filled lamps are symbolic of the Holy Spirit which lights the way before the saints.”

“And five of them were wise, and five were foolish”.

Elder McConkie further explains that this parable is not about “good and bad, not righteous and wicked, but wise and foolish. That is, all of them have accepted the invitation to meet the Bridegroom; all are members of the Church … but only five are valiant therein.”

In the parable, only those with oil in their lamps were able to enter the house of the bridegroom. In modern times, only those worthy of a temple recommend may enter the house of the Lord.

“They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them;

“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps”.

Those 2nd 5 still had their vessels, but the vessels were empty.  When I heard that talk from Elder Robbins, I was struck with the thought of being an empty vessel, being one of the 2nd 5.  I knew there was oil missing. 

I then spoke about our General Conference that took place earlier in April.  After some of the changes we've experienced in the Church lately, I think many of us didn't want to miss a thing.  We anticipated some more announcement of change at conference.  These are the quotes I shared from conference.  See if you can catch the change they're all addressing.

Elder Ballard told us with all the recent changes we’ve had, let’s not forget the Spirit behind the change, real reason for the change..   “…even though we cannot control those external forces that impact our lives here on earth, as we strive to become faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can find peace, joy, and happiness despite the worldly troubles that swirl around us.”

President Eyring spoke of a Home Where the Spirit of the Lord can dwell…..  “So building faith in Jesus Christ is the beginning of reversing spiritual decline in your family and in your home. That faith is more likely to bring repentance than your preaching against each symptom of spiritual decline.”

In President Oaks talk, titled 'Where Will This Lead?',  he said, “Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives. … We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best.”

President Nelson said in the Priesthood session that we can do better and be better, but Sisters, do you really think we are excluded from that wisdom and counsel??  He said, “Does everyone need to repent? The answer is yes.”  He also said,  “Whether you are diligently moving along the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path, or can’t even see the path from where you are now, I plead with you to repent. Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance—of doing and being a little better each day.”   

I think we all fit into one of the 3 categories he mentioned.

Elder Renlund spoke of how a fire is started,…..with one small match.  He said a massive wood pile is like heavenly blessings, but there needs to be kindling, wood chip, sticks come next, then a small log and finally huge logs.  (sounds like all of these are blessings that build upon each other)  Nothing happens to these items without the strike of a small match, a single small flicker and then a small flame.  He said, “Striking the match and lighting the kindling are small actions that enable the potential energy of the wood to be released.  Until the match is struck, nothing happens, regardless of the size of the woodpile. If the match is struck but not applied to the kindling, the amount of light and heat released from the match alone is miniscule and the combustion energy in the wood remains unreleased. If oxygen is not supplied at any point, the combustion reaction stops.”    (I was reminded of my dream of the house with a fireplace and a fire burning in every room at this point in his talk)  He also said, “In a similar way, most blessings that God desires to give us require action on our part—action based on our faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in the Savior is a principle of action and of power. First we act in faith; then the power comes—according to God’s will and timing. The sequence is crucial.  The required action, though, is always tiny when compared to the blessings we ultimately receive.”  

Elder Holland spoke of a more Christ Centered Sacrament Meeting.  He wasn't speaking to our bishops about the way things are conducted, he was emphasizing that WE are the ones to make that happen in our dress, our attitudes, our actions, our early arrival, our reverence, and our thoughts of the Savior who we come to worship.  He said, “By commandment, we gather for the most universally received ordinance in the Church. It is in memory of Him who asked if the cup He was about to drink could pass, only to press on because He knew that for our sake it could not pass. It will help us if we remember that a symbol of that cup is slowly making its way down the row toward us at the hand of an 11- or 12-year-old deacon.”

There was so much more that I could have quoted, but time did not allow, but did you catch the big change in all of that?  Many of us turned to conference looking to our leaders for the Next Big Change.  When in fact, they are looking to us for that Big and Mighty Change, perhaps the biggest change of all.  We can all make changes.  We can all go to the Lord and ask “What lack I yet?”  Or if we know what we lack, and I suspect many of us do, we can desperately ask for help with that particular thing.  

Sister Sharon Eubank (1st counselor in General RS Presidency) recently posted this:
     I spent 2006 living in Paris. My apartment was just a few blocks from Notre Dame Cathedral, and I can’t count how many times I walked along the river and ended up staring at that stunning church. With the rest of the world, I watched in horror as the 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral was on fire. I read a news report describing the “forest” of lumber that medieval craftsmen used to build the great ceiling. Many of those trees, in order to be long enough, were 300+ years old. I can’t imagine how those laborers cut down those trees, dragged them to the little island in the middle of the river where the cathedral stands, hoisted them hundreds of feet into the air, and somehow attached them to the walls and roof. Tragedies like this one make us mourn what is lost. Much of it is not replaceable. There is no way to calculate the value of what a visit to that glorious edifice has meant to millions of people. Our hearts are with beloved Paris.

But I also believe the cathedral can and will be rebuilt and will be even better suited to serve as a reminder of God’s love—ancient and modern—to all who visit. Most importantly, our Heavenly Father can make “cathedrals” of each of us. We will probably have to suffer the scorching of our hearts to really know the depth of His power and love. We long to keep the old-growth forest on which we’ve built our lives. But He has a plan that is even better. When we call out, Jesus Christ rushes to our aid to help quench the flames. Let us turn our hearts over to Him and not be afraid to build with His beauty upon our ashes.

So…. let’s not settle into our testimony and feel that we’re ready with our vessels, only to find out they’re empty and no time to fill them.  President Nelson also told us TIME IS RUNNING OUT.  That came from a prophet of God.  Regardless of where we’re at on the covenant path, we all have changes we can make. We can be better and do better.  We can make changes, we can turn to our Savior to “keep the happy inside”. 

Little Faith

Some questions have come to my mind in reading in our Come Follow Me home reading and study the last week or so.  I want to share my thoughts about Peter walking on the water.  First question that came to mind is....why do we only read about that in Matthew?  We do read in Mark and John about Christ walking on the water to come out to the boat to meet the disciples, but they say nothing about Peter stepping out of that boat and walking a few steps.  That is a big deal!  Why didn't Mark and John include that?  If any of you have thoughts on that, please share them.  But let me share what I've really been pondering about. So, remember in Matthew 14 we read about the disciples in a boat in the middle of the sea.  They had just witnessed and been part of Christ feeding over 5000 people from a mere 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, with a gathering of 12 baskets full of left overs when everyone was full.  Jesus then remained behind and told them to go ahead on the boat.  Basically, he would catch up.  So here they are on this boat, it's middle of the night and the winds get strong and it's a bit tense out there.  They then see someone walking toward them on top of the water.  This frightens them.  I think that's a natural emotion for that situation.  Jesus calls out to them and tells them it's just him and not to be afraid.  So here's Peter's part in all this.  He calls out to Jesus saying, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water".  So what were the other disciples doing at this point?  I don't know the answer to that, but I do know they weren't asking to be called out onto the water.  But Peter did, and when Christ invited him out by simply saying, "Come", Peter did just that.  He stepped out of the boat.  Did he know if he was stepping onto the water or into the water at that point?  My guess is he didn't know which, but he did leave the boat!  Then he actually walks on top of the water toward Jesus.  When did he realize he was not sinking?  When did he realize he was doing the impossible?  I don't know the answer to that.  But at some point his attention is drawn to the winds, the boisterous winds, around him and he started to sink into the water.  What did he do then?  I know, because Matthew tells us.... he called out to Jesus to save him.  And we know from the story that is exactly what happened.  Christ immediately reached down and grabbed  Peter and kept him from sinking any further.  Christ then said to Peter, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"  We also know they made it back to the ship together.  Did Peter walk back with Christ?  Did Christ carry him?  I don't know, but does it matter?  I think about Christ telling Peter he had little faith.  Is "little faith" a bad thing?  He certainly had more faith than the other disciples at that point.  At least it seems that way to me.  They didn't ask Jesus to bid them to come and they didn't step out of the boat.  Peter did.  Christ tells us in a later chapter about what we can do with faith just the size of a mustard seed.  A mustard seed is incredibly small.  He said mountains can be moved with faith just that small size.  So was he being critical of Peter's "little faith"?  I would like to think he was not, but merely making a statement about what Peter was able to do with his little faith.  But he also asked him why he doubted.  So this is how I would like to believe the conversation went.  Christ had just saved Peter from falling into the depths of the sea and He says lovingly, "Peter, look what you did with the little faith you have! Tell me why you began to doubt."  Of course he doubted.  Don't we all let the boisterous winds around us cause us to take our eyes off of Christ at times, even for a mere few minutes, letting the distractions of life interfere and get in the way?  Unfortunately I think I do more than I would like to admit.  At least my eyes are not as fixed on Him as they should be at all times.  And what happens when I start to sink?  I hope I do exactly what Peter did and cry out to my Savior.  Because if I do, He will do exactly what He did for Peter and does it matter if He carries me or if I walk beside Him.  No, it doesn't matter at all. 

One more thing......Peter's little faith enabled him to ask for that miracle in the first place.  This experience of Peter's has so much for me to learn about little faith, about using that little faith to ask for the miracles we need in our lives and then stepping out of the boat to do our part, about keeping our sites fixed on the Savior.  But also knowing He will always reach out to us, no matter what, and will be there to hold onto.  I only hope I can match Peter's little faith in my life.

Those Parable Moments

I've been thinking about parables lately, not only the ones Christ taught, but the parables around us.  I see them from time to time.  I write about them from time to time.  Some of my already posted blog posts are about some of those parable moments.  Some call that metaphorical writing, I prefer to call it a parable because there is always something to learn, something to help me understand more, to be better, or maybe just to help me endure.  Something that comes to mind is the change of seasons.  Living in Idaho now has me experiencing that change in a whole different light.  Yes, I know I grew up in Idaho, but I've also lived in Arizona for over 40 years.  I've experienced different types of seasons and I also see things differently as an adult, or maybe as an adult in this particular stage of life.  I see and experience winter here in Idaho but I'm not a fan of Idaho winters. Oh it's okay, even nice until Christmas, then I don't like it anymore.  I'm ready for spring.  But spring doesn't happen on my timetable.  I just have to wait and wait and wait..... And then when the 1st signs of spring arrive, I want to dig and plant and see flowers.  But, alas I still have to wait and wait and wait.  I see a pattern here and something to learn, perhaps about patience. Yes definitely about patience.  But it's more than that.  Here in the winter, when it's really cold and snowy and icy, there is a real lack of joy for me.  Everything seems dead outside.  I don't go out much, actually I don't think many do.  I don't see my neighbors out and about near as much in the winter.  I think people just stay in a lot more.  At least that's my impression.  There's a lot more depression in the winter months.  Lack of sunshine, lack of vitamin D, increased depression, oh I know there's science behind it, but still something to learn, something of a parable.  Some winters last a lot longer than others and even though we are ready for spring, it just seems like it may never come, but it does and the weather starts to change.... sometimes gradually, sometimes more drastically, but it changes.  More sunshine, warmer temperatures, snow and ice gone and I start to see people outside, walking, biking, working in yards.  Things start to bud and grow.  Somehow, the bulbs and roots store energy and nutrients and food, just waiting patiently for the right time to sprout.  Again, a scientific explanation.  Seeing that new life sprout up from a once frozen ground is amazing.  What I feel inside is incredible too, something like an awakening.  A renewed sense.  I guess it's no wonder that Easter is in the spring.   After all that's what Easter is all about, that awakening and renewing, even a perfecting.  So many things to learn and experience and understand, just by observing the change of seasons.

We certainly all have those change of seasons in our lives.  Some winter periods of our journey are mild, some pretty severe.  Some are long and some relatively not so long.  We may even stay inside ourselves and not venture out.  I have certainly experienced that.  For some it might seem like spring is so far away, maybe even not coming at all.  Lack of joy, lack of hope, even despair.  But even the weather, the change of seasons we experience every year is teaching us about our Heavenly Father's plan and our Savior's role.  Spring will come, the sun will shine.  New growth can and does sprout out of that once frozen ground and it is an incredible thing to see.  It is an even more incredible thing to feel and experience that growth sprouting within ourselves.  The Son will heal us from the winters in our lives, no matter how severe, how hopeless or how long.  He not only heals us, but is with us every single minute of those long winters.  If we can only stay rooted in our Savior's life and love, we will have what we need to survive those winters and it most definitely will be a glorious Spring.