All we like sheep - Part 2

That afternoon, the sheep met all together in the garden of the farm. One of the rams had told Retriever about the meeting earlier in the day, but she had misunderstood and thought they were inviting her to the meeting. When she arrived at the meeting, however, she was greeted by angry and uninviting faces. One of the rams told her and Labrador that if they stayed at the meeting, she would have to answer to them and be responsible for everything that happened. Retriever didn’t really like meetings anyways, especially when conducted in the language of the sheep, so they left. She knew she would find out the purpose of the meeting soon enough.

That soon enough came just a few days later when another unsigned letter arrived on her desk. This letter stated that they were sure that Chow was continuing to work from home. Therefore she had until the next day to vacate the town with “her accomplice,” the Beagle who lived in her house and also helped on the farm. If Chow was not gone by 9am the next day, Retriever would be responsible for everything that would happen. More specifically, this something was going to be a strike, the letter explained.

Again, Retriever had no idea what to do other than to call The Shepherd. But The Shepherd could not give her specific ideas, He only told her she needed to trust Him, that He would fight this battle for her. She needed  only to stand faithful and watch Him work.

The next morning came all too quickly. Retriever was trying to care for various visitor sheep on the farm when 9am arrived, and the sheep she was working with was called away. Retriever found all the sheep gathered together laughing and talking. Medicine Sheep arrived and together they implored the sheep to keep working for their own. The sheep of Banana desperately needed the care the farm provided. The sheep had lost their individuality, however, and melded into one mind, one purpose. They absolutely would not work until the Chow was out of the town. No amount of reasoning would change their course.

Retriever knew no other course to take for herself than to continue to visit the sheep who had come to the farm for care. The clothes largely stopped being made. She tried to do the work herself, but the enterprise was much too big for just her alone. The rams instructed two sheep to work, so that the entire farm did not come to a halt, but those two sheep would not work with her when she came to their areas to supervise the work. The hostility of the sheep towards her pierced her heart.

Dejectedly Retriever plodded home that night. At this point, her only hope was Wise Old Sheep, a friend of The Shepherd, who had heard about the trouble at the farm and agreed to come to try to find a solution. 

The next day, Wise Old Sheep and Retriever met with the people for many hours. Wise Old Sheep understood what type of roots were deep under the surface of this bush, and he helped the sheep to come back to a semblance of reasonability. He explained privately to Retriever that he believed the rams were being directed by other rams in a larger town who wanted to take over the farm. He believed there was a deep and evil plot to win control of the hospital by kicking out the dogs. Retriever began to understand she was in the midst of a great controversy. The Shepherd was still in control of the farm, however. Retriever felt peace that perhaps the thorny bush of evil would not completely take over if they remained faithful and refused to lose heart.

Unfortunately, that peace was soon disturbed by an illness that overtook Labrador. She watched him writhe in his bed burning with fever and groaning in pain. Her heart ached for Labrador. She longed to leave this difficult place with him or at least to be able to stay home and take care of him. But alas, sheep from far and wide continued to come to Banana for care, and her presence was needed on the farm.

Before he left, Wise Old Sheep had met with the local authorities in the town of Banana, and also in the nearby town of Milk. After he left, a few days later, he sent a bailiff sheep to notify the rams that they needed to stop causing trouble on the farm and to stop acting illegally. When the rams received the ordinance from bailiff sheep, the rams were furious, so furious that all reason fled the scene. They gathered other sheep and as a mass, sequestered Bailiff Sheep inside the hospital gates. Bailiff Sheep bleated in distress, calling to Retriever from inside the gate. A group of worker sheep blocked his way and with hatred-filled faces turned to Retriever. Labrador roused from his bed to help Retriever call the police.

Labrador and Retriever walked back home and looked at the bags waiting at the door. Was it time to take these bags and leave? At what point were they unsafe here? They called The Shepherd that night and begged for guidance. Again, The Shepherd responded that they were not to fear and were not to leave yet. They needed to be patient and He would work all things out for them.

He told her, “And I will give you treasures in the darkness, hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, Jehovah, who call thee by name.” Isaiah 45:3 Retriever thought, treasures? From this darkness? Impossible!

Wise Old Sheep continued to help from afar, and he had recommended that head ram be fired because of the illegal activities he had clearly been directing the sheep to do. Retriever was nervous. Head ram was small in stature, but large in personality and influence. When he spoke, all the sheep listened enraptured. Retriever knew the deed must be done. Head ram must be fired, but she knew he would not give up his throne without a fight.

That fight began the next day with the sheep all meeting together and announcing that they would not be working. They would not tolerate head ram being fired. Retriever had been up early that morning working with a sheep who needed her old dirty coat cut off because it was so deeply embedded into her. Retriever asked the cutting team for help. The life of this sheep was in danger. She must have the old coat cut off so that she could have a new clean one to keep her warm. 

“No,” they responded. What?! Retriever thought. They did not even care about their own sheep? They would rather that the sheep in distress possibly die than to change their minds about the strike. Medicine Sheep came and together the two begged the sheep to save their own and help Retriever cut off the old coat. Begrudgingly, they agreed. The sheep continued to work, but tension was high.

Each day on the sheep farm, when Retriever heard a group of people talking, her heart quickened. Was it another mob of people coming to force her hand? When she heard the engine of a truck rumbling into the farm, her palms became sweaty. Was it was the local authorities coming to reprimand or humiliate her? When she heard a sheep worker’s cell phone ring, fear seized her heart. Was it a ram calling to demand that sheep to stop working with her? Would the sheep farm ever have peace again?

Chow left the farm for a break from the intensity and raw hatred. The Shepherd sent German Shepherd to the farm to help Retriever navigate this difficult situation. German Shepherd had worked for many years many years ago on the farm, and he understood the language and culture of the sheep probably better than she ever would.

Day after day Retriever endured meetings, meetings with the sheep, with the local authorities, with the work inspectors, with the employees, with the dogs, with the rams, with head ram. And day by day, the intensity de-escalated and the tension began to lift. With many discussions and the help of the the work inspectors, head ram left the farm. The sheep had no legal choice but to accept this, which they thankfully did. The evil thorny bush was finally uprooted, at least for now, with these actions.

German Shepherd made changes with the processes of the farm. He brought new sheep to help with the administration. He also started many projects around the farm, which brought distraction and excitement to the sheep. Slowly the thorny bush of evil began to be trimmed down. Labrador began to feel better of body and heart, and he took up his work again encouraging the sheep of the farm.

The sheep of the farm worked as before. They greeted Retriever and Labrador with smiles and nods as if the darkness had never previously overtaken the hospital. Chow took up work again for the farm from another town, and the projects to improve the farm moved forward. 

So Retriever and Labrador continued to work also. The scars remained from what they had suffered from the sheep they had come to serve. However, The Shepherd promised to heal them. They saw that The Shepherd’s words were true, it was He who had called them by name to this sheep farm. 

And He could indeed bring treasures from the darkness.