I’ve always assumed that sheep were a bit dumb. I’ll admit, I fell for the cliché. To be fair, among all the friendly farm animals, sheep don’t seem particularly bright. Certainly not compared to clever pigs, who are as smart as your dog, or strong horses with their wise eyes. Case in point: once I saw a YouTube video of a flock leaping over a wall that wasn’t there… The farmer had removed it after the first sheep cleared it, but the rest kept jumping, just to be safe. If you asked a sheep, “If your friend jumped off a cliff, would you?” that sheep would say “of course I would.”
You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God. – Ezekiel 34:31 (NRSV)
But recently, I researched sheep and learned more—not just about them, but about myself. One shepherd put it this way: “If you pay attention, you cannot help but be impressed by how smart they are to have survived domestication since 10,000 BC. Although many think their flocking instinct is a sign of ‘dumbness,’ it is in fact a community-based survival mechanism where they have learned that their strength is much greater in numbers and their comfort and survival is enhanced as a group rather than as an individual.”
That made me wonder—did I think sheep were dumb because I feel a little bit dumb when I need other people? Have I internalized the message that relying on community is a sign of diminished capacity? Honestly, yeah, almost definitely. I don’t need to tell you we live in a culture that glorifies independence, that insists it’s morally superior to need nothing from anyone.
So today, I’m going to try to learn from the sheep. I’m going to cuddle up to my community, follow trustworthy leaders, and jump over the invisible barriers of greed and fear that will certainly trip me up.
Prayer ~ Good Shepherd, fold me into a flock of friends and family. Keep me in the beloved band of community. Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rev. Kate Kennedy is a New Hampshire-based UCC pastor pursuing a career in family therapy.