What the rodeo taught me about Jesus

TBT to something I wrote over a year ago.

Joe and I went to a rodeo last week. It was a fun date night, and neither of us had been to a rodeo before. So, you could say it WAS my first rodeo (haha, sorry). Our favorite part was

the barrel racing. The horses looked so powerful, so beautiful as they took off

at top speed after rounding the last barrel. We enjoyed that even more than the

bull riding!

            Something I had never heard of before was mutton bustin. Young kids rode on top of sheep as

the sheep took off running from the gate. It was amusing at first, and it was kind of cute watching the kids cling on for dear life as the sheep dashed out, looking scared and confused. Most of the kids fell off after a couple seconds (amazingly, barely phased. I kept wanting to run out there and pick up the kids), and the sheep would just run off to some other part of the arena. The cowboys just let them be until the end of the round because they were out of the way anyway.

            I found it funny that the sheep all ran to each other, to the herd that was growing after

each run. They instinctively ran straight to the safety and familiarity of the herd.  Once they reached the herd, they stopped and just stood there, occasionally pooping or baa-ing (is that a word?). They looked so lost and pathetic all huddled there together. It struck me that they needed a leader. They would never go anywhere on their own- just keep standing together as one, in safety. The only way to move them was to herd them all together back into their pen.

            As I reflected on this during a Sunday afternoon motorcycle ride with my ruggedly handsome

husband, I made the connection of the sheep needing a leader to our need for a leader and Savior. In the Bible, we find several references to sheep and their shepherds, and to Jesus as our shepherd. Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” John 10:3, 4 “the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own

sheep by name and leads them out…his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Matthew 9:36 (I love this one): “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

            Like one of those sheep at the rodeo, I am helpless and harassed without my shepherd, my

Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Without a leader, I go nowhere and do nothing- but poop and make pointless, loud noises. I don’t know about you, but that does not sound like life to me. I want to follow a leader who loves me and has good things for me. A leader who will lead me out of the safety and familiarity that I get stuck in, too scared to leave by myself, into new places. A leader that I

can love and trust.

            Moving out here to Utah from Wisconsin/Michigan took courage and faith. Joe and I left all that was safe, familiar and stable to start a new life in a new place. Without God’s leading, I never could have done it. And it has not been easy. Making new friends is hard for me. Feeling at home at a new church is taking some time. It took me much longer than I expected to find a job. Learning the culture of a new place has been frustrating at times. But my shepherd has been with me through it all, giving me courage and the grace I need.

            I’ve been stretched and blessed by this experience, and I will continue to follow Christ

wherever He leads. Because without Him, I’m a little helpless and harassed sheep.