The Shepherd’s Rod and Staff

The young sheep trudged up the dark valley. The other sheep told him they were going toward a mountain pasture with lush, green grass, but his hooves ached so much that he wanted to stop right there and never move again. Why did the journey have to be so long? It was a nice enough spot right there in the shade of the twisting, valley walls. The sheep glanced at his Shepherd walking a few yards away. The Shepherd’s staff, a slender pole with a crook at one end, clacked on the stones in rhythm...