Scripture quotations marked (AMP) are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987, 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.TM. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION* NIV*. Errors in properly crediting photos or material will be corrected upon notification. Excerpts and links permitted, provided clear credit is given with appropriate direction to the original content. © Brenda Koinis, 2013-21, all rights reserved. The next time I’m tempted to balk at what God is asking, I’m going to remember Shrek the Renegade, no make that, Miserable Looking Sheep and choose the Shepherd’s way over my own. Shrek became famous after escaping his enclosure and evading the shearers for six years by hiding in caves. Surely we are always better off trusting the wisdom of our Shepherd, fully cooperating with the One in charge. Shrek was a Merino sheep, a castrated male, belonging to South Island, New Zealand, who gained international fame in 2004 owing to his gigantic coat of fleece. When have we tried to hold on to what keeps us from healthy spiritual growth?.When the Shepherd is ready to remove what we no longer need, or might even do us harm, how often do we balk, hide, or refuse to our own detriment?.Talk about carrying around extra baggage! Now, I ask you, does that look like a happy, healthy animal? When he was finally caught and shorn, the wool removed weight 60 pounds, enough to make 20 large men’s suits. This is Shrek after hiding in caves, successfully avoiding six years of annual shearing. Big mistake! Want to know how big? Take a look at this photo. Shearing also keeps older dirty wool from contaminating new growth.Įvidently none of that mattered to Shrek or, more likely, he simply wanted his own way and didn’t know any better.Long fleece can lead to overheating, limited mobility, and even disease.This was a foolish decision on the part of the renegade.

Shrek decided he no longer wanted to be shorn. However, in the late 1990’s, Shrek the Renegade Sheep thought he had a better idea. Thus, their sheep are best off cooperating with the one in charge. We can safely assume that New Zealand shepherds are far smarter than their sheep. You’ve probably seen the movies, may even have read the book, but have you heard about the sheep? Yes, Shrek is also the name of a famous sheep…on the other side of the world…New Zealand, to be exact, where the sheep population outnumbers the humans six to one.

Shrek the sheep