Monday, August 7, 2017

Preparation Time

It is Monday morning and tomorrow Calvin's FFA lambs must check in for the Iowa State Fair. There was a lot of hustle and bustle at the sheep barn this weekend and today culminates the "get ready" period. Since March or April the lambs that were chosen for show have been carefully fed, monitored, exercised, sheared, trimmed, walked on treadmills and sheep walkers, washed, blown dry, and brushed. They all know the routine; they are used to being worked with; and for the most part they are ready to be critiqued by the honorable State Fair judge on Thursday or Friday.

The casual bystander at the show who passes through the sheep barn during the Fair will have no idea what work has gone into the preparation. I can't believe it myself sometimes, and I've seen it with my own eyes. Although not all the lambs have been named, the shepherds can tell you all about each lamb. They have personalities and idiosyncrasies just like humans. Some drive their shepherd crazy with frustration. Others, amaze the shepherd. There is one particular lamb who absolutely loves to walk on the treadmill. When its gate is opened the lamb runs directly to the treadmill and is ready to go.

Today the show lambs will be washed and sheared, dried and brushed. They will get clean jackets and coats to wear and be fed very specifically toward their outward appearance and tomorrow's weigh-in. The trailer will be packed with all the gear needed for four days at the Fair. Consider the showbox filled with 10 different sprays, soap, halters, feeders, hoses, brushes, clean coats and jackets; plus feed, hay, fans, electric cords, blowers, more. The actual FFA sheep shows are Thursday and Friday morning, and the Fair doesn't open to the public until Thursday.

The process of getting the lambs onto the fairgrounds is one of dread. All of the FFA lambs arrive during the same time period. Picture hundreds of trucks pulling trailers lined up along the south side of the fairgrounds, waiting while the State Fair veterinarians go into each trailer and check out each lamb to be sure it is healthy enough to enter the fairgrounds. Then there are lines waiting to unload all the gear and the lambs, finding the appropriate pens. Next, they get in line to park the trailer. Then they get the lambs on halters and stand in line to weigh the lambs. Once all that is done, the rest of the stress comes from keeping the lambs healthy and show-ready until show time.

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed," (1 Peter 1:13 NIV).

We have many things in life to prepare for, but the most important preparation we need to do is to ready ourselves for Jesus Christ's return. Our day-to-day relationship with Him shows God that we believe in Jesus Christ and the salvation He has secured for us through His spilt blood.

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