If there’s such a thing as a spirit animal, I was fairly certain mine would bear a strong resemblance to a sloth. The three-toed sloth’s maximum speed when threatened is 0.15 mph, and they are sedentary to the point that algae grows on their furry coat. They are notoriously clumsy on land, ironically strong swimmers, and have a daily sleep need of 15-18 hours. Throw in a very low metabolism and dark streaks around the eyes and… let’s just say, I can relate.
One viral Tik Tok video later, though, and I have a newly developed connection to a rescued sheep by the name of Baarack.
If you haven’t heard this story, Baarack, the merino sheep, was found in February, lost and ailing in the forest of Australia. Rescuers from a nearby animal sanctuary took him in and cared for his immediate needs, which included a long overdue shearing; Baarack’s first shearing in many years yielded a fleece weighing more than 75 pounds.
75 pounds, my friends. That’s a pretty heavy burden for a sheep.
It’s believed that Baarack had once been an owned sheep. His fleece would have been sheared at least once a year, to keep the wool light and to prevent possible infection. His ears were tagged to declare ownership. His owner surely provided for his daily needs and offered protection from predators. Somewhere along the way, though, Baarack wandered deep into the forest, and his missteps took him further and further from his home.
Further from his shepherd.
Having run wild for many years, Baarack’s health was very fragile at the point of rescue. He couldn’t see; the wool had literally grown over his eyes, and grass seeds had become wedged between his cornea and eyelid, resulting in a nasty corneal ulcer. Breathing was a challenge due to the unrelenting weight on his back. He was underweight and exhausted from years of struggling to find food and water, and his ear tags had been torn out by the thick, matted fleece around his face.
Blind and heavily laden, Baarack was in baaaaaaaad shape.
It seems I have a bit of Baarack in me, as well.
While I have never wandered the bushlands of Australia with 75 pounds of filthy, densely-matted wool weighing me down, I confess that I have walked with shoulders slumped and back breaking from layer after heavy layer of misconceptions and lies. There have been days, weeks, months that I’ve allowed the deception of the enemy to cover my eyes, blinding me from truth. I’ve struggled to breathe beneath the unrelenting weight of burdens I was never meant to carry. All because, somewhere along the way, I got completely lost and my steps carried me further from who I was created to be.
Further from the Shepherd.
That’s precisely where Satan – our accuser and the father of lies – wanted me. It’s precisely where he wants all of us. Burdened by the world and blinded to the truth of our purpose.
But just as Baaracks’ rescue story has a happy ending, we too can find rescue from our heavy loads. Friends, our loving Shepherd wants so much more for you and me than the day-to-day wandering in desolation; He longs to shear away the dirty, tangled lies that are weighing us down, to breath vitality into person He has called us to be.
What’s your Rescue Story?
My story isn’t the same as yours, of course it isn’t, but we don’t have to live the same lives to experience feelings of hopelessness and defeat; this world leaves none of us unscathed. Doubt, insecurities, isolation – we’ve all been there. The beauty of the gospel is that we don’t have to stay there. Before we took our first breaths, God wrote a Rescue Story for each one of us, and through Him, the lies of the enemy can be exposed and rendered useless when countered with truth from His Word.
I pray your Rescue Story sounds something like this:
I am not rejected. I am chosen by God, and I will seek Him above all others. I am the daughter/son of the King of kings.
I am not forgotten. He engraved me on the palm of His hands. He knows every detail of my life.
I am not without hope because my hope is not in the things and people of this world. My hope is in Jesus, Jehovah, Yahweh, the anchor of my soul. He alone is the desire of my heart.
I am not controlled by my emotions. When I don’t understand, I will be still and know that He is God. When I feel anxiety bubbling within me, I will remember that He has plans for my good, and His plans always prevail. Always.
I am not afraid. I laugh without fear of the future because my God walks before me. He is with me, always. He will not fail me or abandon me. God is for me, God is good, and Good is good at being God.
I am not defeated. I am a conqueror because of Christ. I know that my Redeemer lives, and one day He will stand on the earth in complete and final victory over evil. Someday, this imperfect world will be no more, and Satan will be defeated.
I am not lazy. Though this body of mine may be weakening, He gives me the strength to accomplish the work He has given me to do today. He gives strength to the weary, and to the one who has no might, He increases power.
I am not broken. I pray to the God who heals, Jehovah Rapha. And even if His healing does not come in the form I seek, I will trust that something beautiful will grow from the ashes of my pain.
I am not ashamed of how God created me. I believe there’s intentionality and a purpose in the way He made me. I have peace because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
I am not alone. When dark night falls, I will find shelter and rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.
What burdens are you carrying today, my friends? Are the lies of the enemy densely matted in your mind? Do your unmet expectations feel like a monstrous weight on your back? Are you grieving the loss of a future you had hoped for, or are you sifting through the devastation of a dream shattered?
Your Rescuer awaits. Your Rescue Story has already been written. No matter how dark your night seems, no matter how loud the enemy shouts his lies, your loving Shepherd is ready to shear away the burdens you weren’t meant to carry – to give life to the person He created you to be.
Let me ask you one more time: What is your Rescue Story?
“’I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’”
John 10:11 NIV
“He has taught you to let go of the lifestyle of the ancient man, the old self-life, which was corrupted by sinful and deceitful desires that spring from delusions. Now it’s time to be made new by every revelation that’s been given to you. And to be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him!”
Ephesians 4:22-24 TPT