In the Bible, people are often compared to sheep while Jesus Christ is pictured as the Shepherd. With this in mind, Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria were inspired by the sheep's unfailing trust on their shepherd when they encountered a herd of them during their Colorado vacation.
The Osteen couple were riding four-wheelers up in the mountains when they came across a herd of about 300 sheep blocking their path. They couldn't get around them, so the couple started making loud noises from their car in the hopes that the sheep would move. Joel even put his four-wheeler in neutral and revved the engine loudly two to three times.
The Christian couple were surprised that the sheep were unaffected by all the commotion they were creating.
"What's interesting is that sheep are basically defenceless animals. They can't run fast. They don't have sharp teeth. They can't really kick," Osteen writes on his blog. "They rely on the shepherd to take care of them. The shepherd keeps them from danger. The shepherd protects them from wild animals. The shepherd tells them where to go. They don't worry. They know that as long as they're with the shepherd, everything will be fine."
Osteen says people should take a cue from those sheep and learn how to stay in peace knowing that God is their Shepherd. Granted, there will be some wolves trying to disrupt people's lives, and they will launch attacks that set people a step back or two.
But "we don't have to fall apart. There's no need to start complaining. Be like a sheep, stay in peace," urges Osteen. "You don't have to run. You don't have to get all worked up. The Good Shepherd will fight your battles. He will lead you into green pastures and restore your soul. You may go through some valleys and difficult seasons. You don't have to fear any evil for the Lord your God, the Good Shepherd, is right there with you!"
