Black Sheep Syndrome

 

This is a story about the black sheep.  You know the story, right?  It's a tale of a sheep that gives away it's wool to the master, the same and to a little child (I forget if it's a boy or a girl).  The sheep gives away it's best to comfort and support the people around.

Then again, the black sheep can bethe outcast in the family as well.  Regardless of how hard they try to fit in, they feel like they can never truly be accepted.

In fact, back in the 18th and 19th centuries the wool of a black sheep was undesirable.  Unlike white wool, black is a hard colour to dye. It was often seen as the mark of the Devil.

Take the tale of the black sheep mentioned in my first two paragraphs. There have been times where I have felt like both sheep.  I have given of myself only to feel like anything I had for someone else was as worthless as black wool.  

The thing about the two sheep, however, is how each one dealt with it's circumstances in life.  The giving sheep, even with its worthless wool, still have of itself because that's what he/she was meant to do.  It had a purpose in life.

The reclusive black sheep may continue to feel left out and abandoned.  He/she chooses to look at the others around them, and fail to see they have something to contribute to this life.

Feeling like a black sheep can be both fulfilling and draining at the same time.  It's a great feeling when you are wanted for the skillset you have BUT it hurts to be alone when the only time people want to around you is at shearing time!

This week, if I'm being honest, is a "black sheep week!" I think we all feel that way from time to time.  There are days when we give until it hurts because that's who we are.  Then come the days where we feel more worthless than black wool.

If I can encourage you today somehow, it would be this.  In a world that looks for conformity, embrace the fact that you stand out!  Forge ahead and be different.  If some people find your gifts worthless, then find those who will love you for you!

Don't hide away and feel unwanted.  Seek out ways to give of yourself.  Give to the little one that lives down the lane because, chances are, they're feeling like a black sheep too!