Perhaps you remember the story of Shrek the sheep from a few years ago. Shrek was a Merino sheep that wandered from his flock in New Zealand.
For six years, Shrek lived on his own, wandering and living in caves.
Merino sheep normally have their coats sheared every year, but Shrek kept packing on the wool, year after year. By the time Shrek was found and was sheared, he had 60 pounds of wool, enough to make 20 suits for grown men.
He was carrying this huge extra burden all because he wandered away from his shepherd. It took the shearer less than half an hour to rid him of his extra weight.
In John 10 Jesus tells us he is our Good Shepherd. How big is the extra burden we carry around when we wander from our shepherd? Experts say that life is more stressful than ever. Could it be that the answer to the stress of modern life is more than 2,000 years old?