little "bummer lambs"

Nature can be so cruel sometimes. I know I'm not the only one that can't watch nature shows without screaming at the prey to "RUN!" I heard this story recently and thought it was so beautiful.

Shepherds (or farmers) experience heartbreak too. Sometimes when a ewe gives birth, she rejects her newborn lamb. The reasons vary—maybe the birth was difficult, or she senses something different about this little one. No matter how many times the lamb tries to return to her side, she cruelly pushes it away. Once a mother sheep makes this choice, she won't change her mind.

The rejected lamb carries itself differently than the others. Its head hangs low because it is so broken-hearted. These little lambs have earned a name among shepherds: "bummer lambs." Left to themselves, they would die—cold, hungry, and alone. It's more than our human hearts can handle.

But shepherds understand something profound about love and rescue.

When a shepherd discovers a bummer lamb, he doesn't leave it to fate. Instead, he gathers that baby into his arms and brings it home. There, In the warmth of his own home, he becomes everything the lamb needs. He feeds it by hand, wraps it in soft blankets, and holds it close.

The lamb grows stronger every day , and when it's finally ready, the shepherd returns it to the pasture with the rest of the flock. But something remarkable happens from that point forward. This lamb, once rejected and broken, now knows the shepherd's voice.

When he calls across the fields, guess which sheep responds first? The one who spent those early days being taken care of in his home.

The bummer lamb doesn't just hear the shepherd's call; it recognizes home in that voice.

Many of us know what it feels like to be that rejected lamb. We've experienced the sting of abandonment, the weight of feeling unwanted, the way rejection can bow our heads and break our spirits. But there is One who sees us in our broken state and refuses to leave us there.

Just like God is our Shepherd, His love doesn't depend on whether others have rejected us. When we find ourselves alone and hurting, He draws us close, feeds us what we need, and helps us become strong enough to rejoin the flock.

We may carry the scars of being bummer lambs, but we also carry something precious: the knowledge of a Shepherd who rescues, restores, and never lets go. In His voice, we don't just hear a call—we hear the sound of coming home.