This last week, the week before Good Friday and Easter, Lorraine and I had the privilege of witnessing a beautiful thing on our farm: a miracle.
When God shows up and does something special, it is what is called a "Thin Place," a glimpse into the true reality of life with God. A thin place is a place where God breaks through; it is where his voice breaks through the darkness, the desperation, and the hopelessness and brings forth hope and a miracle.
This last week was a “Thin Place” moment for us at Shalom Farms.
On Friday morning, March 27th, we had twin lambs born. I arrived to check on Ohana, our momma ewe, just shortly after the lambs were born, and I noticed that one of the lambs was not getting up and walking.
I picked up both lambs and momma followed. I got them shut into the shelter where Ohana, whom we often call Hana, could be alone with her babies so they could have time to bond, and so Hana could not get too far away from the little one that was struggling. I decided I would check back in a couple of hours to see how they were all doing.
When I came back a couple of hours later, my heart just sank within me.
The little one was still not able to get up and walk. Actually, he was not able to use his rear legs at all. He would try to "army crawl" to Hana with his front legs, and his rear legs would just drag behind him.
I could tell the little guy was a fighter because he was really trying to get to her so he could get his first meal.
One thing we remember from our research before adding sheep to the farm is that baby lambs need colostrum within the first hour or so of life or they can give up the will to live.
This little guy was giving it all he had to try and get to his momma’s teat so he could eat, but he just couldn’t do it on his own strength.
As a shepherd, I quickly realized that I needed to do something or this little one would have no chance at life. Isn’t that exactly what Jesus did for me, and for us? I didn’t know what to do so I prayed. That is what I do anytime I don’t know what to do, and on our farm we are in prayer a lot.
I didn’t have any colostrum replacer because we never need any, and I didn’t have time to drive to the store to get some. The only one with colostrum was his mother, and that little boy sure needed it. So I decided I had to milk her, then feed it to him from a bottle.
Lorraine was at work so I was all alone and didn’t have my best helper; however, I remembered that God is also my helper and he is always available. I knew that I would need his help to accomplish this task. Hana had never been milked before, so I knew she would put up a fight.
I hurried and got our portable milk stand, a big bowl of oats to keep Hana temporarily distracted, our hand milker, a bottle and nipple, and some Karo Syrup water mix for a quick boost of energy for the little one.
I caught Hana and got her on the milk stand, gave her oats, and all seemed good. Then as I started to milk her, the fight broke out. She was not going to do this the easy way and opted for the 15 minute wrestle instead.
At one point, she landed a good blow and sent the milk bottle flying 5 feet across the shelter. But in the end, God gave me the victory and I had a full 6 ounce bottle of colostrum. Praise the Lord!
I quickly got the nipple on the bottle and waited to see if the little one would take it. To my surprise, he took it immediately and downed the whole bottle in seconds. I also gave him the Karo Syrup water mix for a quick boost of energy. The immediate task was accomplished. Now, I would leave him with his mom and pray that God would heal him, give him strength, and help him walk.
When Lorraine got home from work, we went to check on him, and sadly there was no difference. He still could not use his rear legs and was still army crawling to try and get to his momma. We knew that he would not survive living with his mom and the rest of the sheep if he could not walk, so we made the hard decision to pull him from Hana and move him to the bottle kid pan so that we could care for him better.
Lorraine and I spent Friday night, Saturday and Sunday working with him to help him stand, trying to strengthen his legs and his hips. He did great; he could stand, but as soon as he tried to move, he would collapse back to the ground. Every time we saw him down, we would pick him back up and have him stand. We fed him plenty of bottles and made sure he was eating well.
Then last Sunday, March 29th, he started walking.
He started following Lorraine and me wherever we would go; shakily at first but when he would fall, he would get back up all by himself.
By Sunday evening, he was running and bouncing.
Lorraine named him Hezekiah. Hezekiah means “God strengthens” or “The LORD has strengthened.” It is the perfect name because that is exactly what God did for this little lamb.
It is so beautiful to see little Hezekiah running around now with all of our baby goats in our bottle baby pen. When we let him out of the pen, he follows me wherever I go; he does not leave my side and he never takes his eyes off of me when I am with him.
Since I am a shepherd to all of our animals, I give of myself for them and do all that I can to ensure they have the best life possible every single day they are on this farm. Even if it means wrestling a momma sheep for colostrum or taking the time to help a weak little one stand, I can only do so much.
As a shepherd, I have to rely on Jesus, my Shepherd.
We could never heal Hezekiah or give him strength; only Jesus can do that. When we faithfully steward all that Jesus has given us and partner with him, it is a beautiful thing to see his grace and the miracles he is doing all around us.
Because of sin, all of us are broken and desperate. We are all like little Hezekiah, trying in our own strength to satisfy our desires and make a good life for ourselves, but we are just army crawling in the dirt, never able to reach what we truly need.
But God, in Ephesians 2:1-10, did not leave us in this condition, dead in our trespasses and sin. Instead, he has made us alive together in Jesus, our Good Shepherd and our Messiah.
Jesus is my Shepherd, and he would not leave me in my desperation; he did everything to restore me and bring me back into a right relationship with God.
That “everything” took place on another Friday many years ago, when Jesus laid down his life for his sheep. John 10:11 says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus died on Good Friday and rose again on Easter Sunday so that we may walk in newness of life with him now and forever.
My prayer is that I can be like little Hezekiah. He is no longer army crawling; he is walking in life and following his shepherd.
May I faithfully keep my eyes on Jesus and follow my Shepherd everywhere he goes.
