When you feel like the black sheep

Image by Karsten Winegeart, Unsplash

Have you ever felt like you were on the outer of the group? Excluded. Not quite fitting in. The black sheep, perhaps.

There’s so many reasons why you might feel like you’re not really part of the group. The others are better off, better dressed, living in fancier houses. You might feel, by comparison, like the poor cousin. The others seem cooler, more confident, more put-together…as though they know some secret code that you are not privy to. Or maybe you feel like you’re on the outer because you have different values, or different politics, or different interests. Maybe even others have let you know that you are not welcome, because of your gender, or sexuality, or the colour of your skin. There are so many reasons why you might feel on the outer.

There’s a beautiful story that Jesus tells, that might just give you some comfort when you’re feeling on the outer edges of the group. Now Jesus is a kind of embodiment of the Big Love that is at the centre of the universe. And Jesus did things and said things that showed us how that Big Love worked. And Jesus, on this particular day, told a story about a sheep. A sheep who, for whatever reason, became separated from the flock. We don’t know why. Maybe it was old, or had a disability. Maybe it got distracted, and wandered off. Maybe there was something about this sheep that made the other sheep give it the cold shoulder, and it decided to make a life for itself elsewhere.

Now the flock had a shepherd. And the shepherd, counting his sheep, sees there is one missing. And instead of saying, “99 out of 100 ain’t bad”, he says, “I must find the one that is missing!” And he goes off, leaves the others to fend for themselves, and finds the sheep. And carries the sheep home.

I love this story as a demonstration of this Big Love – this Big Love who cares deeply for each and every one of us. And especially when we’re feeling on the outer. I think that what Jesus is saying in this story is that when you’re feeling excluded, when you’re feeling different, or when you’ve been given the cold shoulder, this is precisely when our Big Love stops what it’s doing, and seeks you out. Finds you. And carries you home.

Words by Rev Andreana