"The sheep are my friends..."

One evening, Roger was talking to a group in a village, and to help them understand, he asked them what value sheep had to them. Various people responded to his question with different answers. "They are a source of wool, we can eat them, and we can use their excrement as a fuel source," they said. Last, a young boy who tended sheep as his job looked up at Roger and sweetly said, "The sheep are my friends. I sleep with them and I love them." The symbolism of the young boy's answer could not be clearer, when we consider the careful care of our Good Shepherd, Jesus, for His flock.

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11