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Of Sheep and Goats
I've always wanted to see a bighorn sheep in the wild but not as close as my daughter had. She lives in Calgary and loves to go hiking in the Rocky Mountains by herself. Once she had her head down and almost walked into a bighorn sheep on a hiking trail.
During two visits to the Rockies my husband and I failed to spot any. Then on another summer the three of us visited Jasper. The hiking manual pointed out various spots where sheep like to congregate. On this particular day we visited one such site. Late in the afternoon we were trudging wearily through a parking lot when we saw animals crowding around a truck. With their rear ends pointing upward, they were scrambling to get under the truck to lick salt off it. I was disappointed because they were mountain goats.
The next morning the three of us spotted similar animals on another road. At that point I read the hiking manual again. This time I realized with glee my mistake. Those animals, which I had seen yesterday, were bighorn sheep, not goats.
As we drove away, I pondered this incident. Being a city girl most of my life, my knowledge of sheep was limited to picture books of farm animals. Even now, my husband and I live in a small community in the country where we often drive by curly-haired sheep. Although I had read the hiking manual many times, my mind had not registered the fact that domestic sheep look different from wild sheep. That day in Jasper, I wondered how often I look at people with preconceptions of what they are like.
A Bible verse came to mind. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged" (Matthew 7:1 NASB). People often judge others superficially. First impressions can be misleading. Even Samuel, a prophet of God, misjudged Jesse's sons by only looking on their outward appearance. Instead, God looks on the heart attitude of everyone (1 Samuel 16:7).
I know now that I had a wrong view of earthly sheep that day in the mountains, but I do not want to make the same mistake with Jesus' sheep. Occasionally we believers may mistake sheep as goats, especially if those sheep have habits or customs different from ours. Other times we may deliberately ignore those people, who look different from us.
How easy it is for us sometimes to judge sheep according to their outward appearance, perhaps their hairstyle or their clothes. James condemned those who welcomed rich well-dressed newcomers into their assemblies and ignored the poor (James 2:1—9). Sadly, favouritism occurs today just as in James' day. But the poor disheveled person may be a precious sheep in God's eyes.
That day in the mountains I realized how faulty first impressions could be. Regardless, God calls us to love those whom we come into contact with, whether sheep or goats. James reminds his readers of the royal Law, "to love your neighbour as [you love] yourself" (James 2:8 Amplified). We know mountain goats will never become sheep. This is not true in the spiritual world. God often changes a goat into a sheep. He did it for me. If we are careful not to judge but to love those whom we meet, God may use us as his messengers to share the good news of salvation in Jesus alone.
© Heather Kendall Winter 2011
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