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It was 90, summer steamy Saturday, and the local farm was having an open house. And the rain came while I was driving, hoping to make the last hour of the event. I had spent the coolness of the morning with the cat in our outdoor tents, soaking up the sunrise. I got to the farm and the rain cleared the place out, I had prime parking, a farm to myself practically, and now cooled 75 degrees. I grabbed an umbrella but the sun shone. Beautiful. A scene to savor. 

Up the hill I climbed, remembering my young days in the fields of my grandparents. I’m a city girl with countryside callings. I was always outside. The sheep came running. The donkey waited by their fence. These animals were conditioned to people, waited upon opportunities for pets, snacks, interaction. How interesting to connect by eye with the animals, do they understand? Do we? I smiled at these particular animals: sheep and donkeys. Whereas the goats were just weird to me standing up on their picnic tables (normal farmers would say.)

The sheep, I thought of our Shepherd Jesus and how we are to be led, like sheep in that trusting way. I thought of the wool and gifts that farm animals give. I thought of the opportunity for people of Jesus’s time to understand sheep because they were around sheep, countryside, or markets. We are not usually on the farm, therefore preserving farms is so vital. I petted the sheep’s noses and moved on.

The donkey, I thought how Jesus rode on a donkey, how Mary rode on a donkey, I hope their’s were TALLER. And I thought as I pet inside the donkeys’ ears that the fur was so so soft. Soft to hear with big ears. Soft that would have given the smallest slice of comfort to Jesus as He rode.

Softness in this ear like knowledge in a world where life is rough. Softness as a sweet savor for a certain touch, a slice of time to connect back with original creation of the creatures who themselves long for restoration. A yearning to know and be known. Jesus would have touched these ears, our ears too, and wanted and want His Flock to know Him.

The slice of weather clearing was an oasis in summer, like these cooler nights too, a moment of bliss before brrrrr. . It would get steamy again that day, rainy again too, but for this moment there was peace. The animals were there just living whether anyone saw them or not. 

The eyes of the animals, did they understand? Some this day I felt understood the peace and smile in my soul of the opportunity just to be there, to be content, no commotion, no chores, no cost. I’m sure that Jesus wanted to look into eyes that did understand Who He was, He still does. I’m sure such few numbers of people understood at the time, but as He healed and spoke and taught, He saw the eyes of the ones He created. He savored the softness and softening of the moments, like a tiny touch of sweet life, or at least a soft compassion to tough times. He knew the tragic world was not ready, nor is it now, to recognize Him. But pockets will. And when we recognize the people in this world as His creatures too, and help them and comfort them, we help Jesus.

If we have any of this Softness, let us savor it, hold it, share it. Like warm sheep wool, be ready to get out into cold places and warm them up. Like sturdy donkeys, be ready to take on the load of living saved in a hostile world. Like with our Savior, let us connect in looking at others with forgiving eyes, soft glances, compassionate hearts, but discerning ears. Maybe that’s why donkeys ears are soft, to soften the blow of harshness spoken. If we have these ears of a donkey too, we can try to bend them to the good and block the bad – but at least filter the sounds, no matter how painful, to make it feel and sound like a plea for compassion when it hits our hearts.

Let us keep traveling and look for pockets of peace, and continue on and especially continue to care, in a Jesus Way.

Jesus WILL return, and these puffy clouds remind us to keep looking for Him to come back, a rapture of us in the world will leave harsh times behind. We will gather in His Flock in the sky. But what about the others who don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior? Let us leave them pockets of Softness, like bibles to read and realize, memories of our compassion even in painful times, like witnesses and wows, let us share memories of Jesus’s interaction with us, of His forgiving Way and narrow path.

Savor the Softness of a Savior. Share the certainty of following Him.

Amen

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A teaching lesson from Matthew 25:31-46 NIV

The Sheep and the Goats

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”