Ajax's Horns

It is holy week, an appropriate time to think about sin. You might not think a sheep with attitude could teach me anything about the topic, but Ajax the ram did just that. Ajax and his horns taught me a valuable truth about hidden sin.

I remembered seeing some blood on Ajax's cheek prior to this day, but blood on a ram isn't usually alarming; it's typical. Ramology 101 says: rams fight, rams get bloody, rams still fight. That's life. His bloody face made me uncomfortable though, so I looked closer. Horns were the problem. Ajax's horns had grown too close to his cheek, leaving no room for air flow. The flesh underneath was breaking down. Ajax was in distress, bashing and rubbing the side of his face into the cattle gate to get relief.

I called the vet, described what I saw, and he confirmed my suspicion. "His horns need to be cut," he said. "You can use an OB wire if ya like."
A what wire? Steve and I cut Ajax's horns, are you kidding?
Being a good Vermonter, the vet had given me the you-can-do-this-at-home-for-free option. If it had been another ram, my husband and I might have considered this, but without a stun gun or knock-out pills, there was only one option...call the vet.

The vet came and Steve helped restrain Ajax while Kent did the cutting. Both of them struggled against Ajax's strength and dominant will. Finally, Ajax's horns fell to the ground. Now, everyone could see what Ajax had been so desperately trying to relieve. He had two gaping holes for cheeks, oozing with maggots. The breakdown of skin had led to an infestation of fleas, making way for the maggots. The vet sprayed Ajax's face. One spray for infection, one to kill the creepy-crawlies.

While Ajax hated the manhandling, he was instantly relieved when the sprays began to work. Now with proper air flow, his cheeks healed in just days. He could go back to fighting, he was officially itch free.

In the business of life, we could have overlooked this horn problem, but eventually it would have killed Ajax. The wound was hidden, but still present. His flesh had been slowly eaten away. Hidden sin in our lives isn't much different. It to gradually eats at us. Ajax's face needed air, hidden sin needs light. Bringing the offense into the open is the first step to healing. Light and air, two things we take for granted until the lack of them causes problems. Then we appreciate them for their glorious contributions.

Ajax is now back to the things that alpha rams do; he's just doing them with shorter horns. He continues to live and fight in the red barn, with the flaking-off paint and the half-dangling cattle gate. It may be rough around the edges but the place beams with life and lessons that burst through when we least expect.