Yearlings

Have you ever seen yearling sheep? They're those gangly creatures that aren't cute little lambs anymore, but they're not grownups yet, either. As their name implies, yearlings are those sheep that are around a year old. If we were talking in human terms, a yearling would be right there in that teenager bracket. And, like their human counterparts, yearlings just aren't like anything else. In fact, the only thing predictable about yearlings is that they are always unpredictable.

Ask any shepherd about his yearlings, and chances are you'll witness the whole gamut of emotions. He'll probably tell you how the yearlings are constantly jumping the electric fences, ones that his horses wouldn't even consider jumping. He'll tell you about how they seem to have no fear of the sheep herding dogs. I've seen some pretty puzzled expressions on the faces of my own dogs when they try to herd a bunch of yearlings.

Yearlings will look at an ear of corn lying on the ground in front of them making no attempt to eat the grain their mamas would trample one another trying to get the first bite of such a treat. And they know practically nothing about following the other sheep in an orderly fashion into the pens and corrals.

When they give birth, a mature ewe is usually grateful to the shepherd for any help he may give her through such an ordeal. She may rest quietly for a few moments before she gets up and starts talking to and licking her precious new lamb.

Yearlings giving birth to their first young is a totally different story. Trying to help a yearling give birth to her lamb is a lot like calf roping in a rodeo. On one occasion I delivered a newborn from a yearling, and in an instant the yearling jumped up and went tearing off across a twenty-acre field like a rodeo calf out of the starting gate.

Yes, yearlings are unpredictable, ungrateful, unmanageable, and well, unlikable much of the time. But a shepherd will tell you something else about his yearlings, that they are the most valuable sheep on the farm.

Maybe they are not the best behaved or the most productive sheep on the farm, but their value exceeds all others because of the potential they have for the future productivity of the flock. A yearling is rapidly approaching adulthood, and the success of the entire flock will rest with this sheep.

Teenagers and young adults have similar responsibilities that will soon rest upon their shoulders. And right now, they are oftentimes unpredictable, ungrateful, unmanageable, and even unlikable. And, like yearlings, they are our most valuable resource.

Yearlings are not really just a hopeless bunch of renegades; they just act like it. In fact, if the shepherd spends a little extra time with his lambs before they reach the yearling stage, they are really quite nice to work around. The problem is that most shepherds just don't take the extra time that is necessary and crucial to build a relationship with the young sheep. But how else are they supposed to develop trust in the shepherd?

The same is true for our kids. Christian adults are more likely to help the young become more productive in the Lord's work if they'll spend the extra time and effort. Unfortunately, our churches are often in reverse; we spend more time, effort and money feeding ourselves than we do feeding and caring for the young. Futhermore, all the time children spend away from home in school classrooms takes time away from parents who are the primary shepherds of those young lambs.

This final point is perhaps the most important. That time and effort I would have to spend to make a difference in how the yearlings act and react to situations must begin when that young sheep is a mere lamb.

Dennis Rowan
Shepherd-In-Training