Lambs Anew

“Lambs!” comes the cry! White-and-black. Twins. Breathing. Strong.

Jesus! Thank you! Thank you, Father!

Mud-boots deep in fresh straw, lean against the hog panel. New life in white wool meets the white fog dawn. All is well; we breathe deep, stand and watch. Wonder.

Hour old, and the lanky leggy lambs wobble and wander. Pop! Jump! Look! Legs! Body! Muscle! Walk! Move, explore body, explore life. Hunger love milk. Butt. Where? Knock. Stumble. There! Tail. Oh! Tail! Flip! Body. Space. Life!

We are surrounded by miracles, but the novelty of our second set of lambs awakens my eyes again.

In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Today, God said, “Let there be sun rise,” and there was sun rise.

In the beginning, God said, “Let the earth give forth vegetation” and the plants yielded seed after their own kind. Today, God said “Let the earth give forth vegetation” and the crocuses began stirring under snow banks, the hepatica on the hill thrust frail purple heads through the winter-damp leaves, and the onion and bell pepper seedlings in our indoor seed flats in our dining room raised their little heads above the black loam.

In the beginning, God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures…” and there were beasts of the earth. Today, God said, “Let there be new life,” and there were two beautiful black-splotched, white-splashed lambs.

Today, miracle.

And as I watch the lambs explore their bodies, explore their new life, explore breath and muscles and physicality and space, I wonder. I praise.

The complexity and gift of my body, no matter how achy and broken—naos, the most Holy Place of the Spirit of God. Nerves and ligaments and enzymes and cells and beautifully complex.

I praise.

New life, breaking into a foggy day. Today, God is still calling forth life. Always something new. Always sustaining. Always life. This is our God. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

I praise.

Rivers in the desert—crocuses under the snow.

Waters in the wilderness—hepatica wildflowers nestled in the damp leaves in the woods.

Reeds and rushes in the haunt of jackals—lambs in the straw.

Joy on the tongue of the mute—I, placed in him, born again, praise.  

New thing, new life, day in and day out.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

     I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert….

then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

    and streams in the desert;

the burning sand shall become a pool,

    and the thirsty ground springs of water;

in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,

    the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

(Isa. 43:19; 35:6-7).