Feed My Sheep

Photo Credit:  happykanppy

When Peter was asked by Jesus if he loved him, Peter’s response was, “You know I do.”  Jesus then told him to “feed my sheep.”  As mothers, many of us will not have the opportunity to minister to and “feed” great herds of sheep, but we do have little herds in our homes that need to be cared for every day.   What does it really take to care for our sheep.

Our little sheep need shelter and protection.  There are wolves out there that would devour them if given the chance.  There are differing views about what it means to shelter a child.  Some believe that they should have no out side influences reaching them; that they should have no exposure to the world in any way.  On the other spectrum, there are some that think children should be exposed to just about everything because they are going to have to live in the “real” world some day.  My husband and I fall somewhere in between.

We do live in the world and are called to be a witness to it.  If we completely hide away we are “hiding our lamp under a basket.” (Matthew 5:15)  However, we are not to be of this world.  If children are over-exposed to the world they are likely to become like it.  Each family must find the amount of shelter that they believer their sheep need.  It must be a matter of prayer, searching the scripture, and receiving wise counsel from those who have walked this path already.  Unfortunately, there are no easy answers here.  It is one of those somewhat gray areas and we must allow for freedom.  But we ought not to take it lightly either.  Just because there is room for freedom does not mean that it is of no consequence.  The amount of shelter needed can vary from child to child even.  Solomon asked for wisdom above all else.  May that be each parent’s heart cry as well.

Our little sheep need nourishment.  Yes, our sheep need to be fed every day, but not just with food on a plate.  Sometimes mothers can get so caught up caring for the physical needs of their families they can forget that their little ones need spiritual nourishment.  Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.  (John 6:35)  We must learn to “feed” our children Jesus every day.  If we don’t want our little ones hungering after the world, they must be filled with Jesus.  We have not always been good at that.  To do that we must be well nourished as well.

Matthew 4:4 says that  ”MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.”  God’s word nourishes our souls.  It fills us so that we have something to give to others.  We need to be feeding our little sheep out of God’s word every day and teaching them to hide it in their hearts.  Someone very dear to me was put in a difficult situation for a long period of time and she had no access to the word of God, to other Christians, or even good books.  She had to rely on the word of God hidden in her heart for nourishment.  Most of us will not have to face that kind of extreme situation, but all of us will encounter circumstances where we need God’s wisdom NOW.

Food only nourishes us when it is digested and becomes part of us.  It is the same with the word of God.  It must become part of the child to truly feed the soul.  This can be done in a number of ways.  Family devotions are a great place to break down and digest the word of God for our little ones.  Valuable truths can be taught, talked about, and related to real life situations.  Memorizing scripture is also very important to get the Bible hidden within.  Memorization can seem daunting at first but once it becomes a habit, it is much easier.  The first half hour of our home school is devoted to memorization.  The kids work for fifteen minutes on new memory work and fifteen minutes on review of previously memorized pieces.  They do memorize poems and pros as well, but the vast majority of memory work is the Bible.  Younger ones may need help to begin with but they will quickly catch on and be able to memorize on their own.

Our little sheep need nurturing.  Sheep have the tendency to get into trouble.  They need care and watching.  We must watch over our little ones’ souls.  They will go through different seasons where they may be insecure, indifferent, easily angered, overly sensitive, or down right rebellious.  As mothers, we must be aware and watching for signs.  Some of our children may be more drawn to the world, or more easily influenced by peers.  Some may struggle with selfishness, lying or covetousness.  We need to be ready to minister to, love, correct, train, offer forgiveness and direction.

Sheep are needy creatures.  Even when they appear strong and independent they have needs that we must look after.  It is not always easy to see clearly what our sheep are needing at the time.  Sometimes we feel weak and needy ourselves.  But that is why we must depend on the Lord for our strength, wisdom and nourishment.  We show our love for Jesus by feeding the sheep.  So, I encourage you today, feed your little sheep; nurture them and shelter them, care for their souls. It is a job you will never regret having done well.

 ¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

A great resource for helping care for your sheep is Doorposts.  They have a wonderful array of materials for parents.  (And I am not getting paid to say so.)  Vision Forum is also a great place to find wonderful resources for parenting and building your family.  (I am an affiliate with them, and by purchasing from them through my link you do help support this site.)

and Homestead Barn Hop