Jenny Marrs learned about God’s love through the death of her Lamb family

Published: July 3, 2024

What Jenny Marrs learned about God’s love after a death in the family

By Movieguide® Contributor

HGTV star Jenny Marrs recounts the good times her family had with her lamb Tommy in an Instagram post honoring him after his tragic death.

“Every morning for the past 45 days, I woke up and heated water for Tommy’s bottle. While the water was heating, I poured myself a cup of coffee. After mixing the bottle with the formula, I went outside with a cup in one hand and a bottle in the other and called ‘Tommy!’ I laughed when he yelled ‘Baaa!’ in response and ran at a gallop toward me,” Marrs wrote.

The family adopted the little lamb in May. “Our little Tommy now thinks I’m his mommy and follows me everywhere,” Marrs posted previously.

“He would drink his bottle, wag his tail the whole time, and then snuggle up to me. Most of the time, I would pick him up and carry him back to the porch swing, where he loved to be rocked to sleep for a morning nap,” she continued. “When he woke up, I would set him down in the backyard next to his favorite spot: the clover. He would look up, say ‘Baaa!’ goodbye, and happily begin grazing in the huge green and white speckled clover field.”

“In his time with us, Tommy survived a tornado, went boating, attended Carline School, went to church and made friends with our puppies, especially our cat Ellie,” Mars added. “She was endlessly fascinated by this new creature.”

Unfortunately, the Marrses faced a difficult situation when Tommy became ill and the vet was unable to do anything for him. They had originally adopted him into the family because his mother was unable to give him enough nutrients. Although the Marrses loved him and took good care of him, Tommy’s immune system was weakened by his time with his mother and once he became ill, he was unable to recover.

“He was just too sick and there was nothing we could do,” Marrs explained. “Telling my babies that his little lamb, who they cared for so well, was no longer going to be with us was one of the hardest things I’ve done in a long time.”

“My heart broke as they begged me to try something else to save him. I silently begged God for the same,” she continued. “It ended peacefully. Our precious vet prayed for us and we held him as he fell asleep. We buried him under a shady tree by the pool – his favorite spot – and that tree will forever be known as ‘Tommy’s tree.'”

“I think of the parable and know for sure that I could give up the 99 for that one. That one was worth it. He was so loved,” Mars concluded.

It’s amazing how even in such heartbreaking situations we can learn something about the Lord and His heart for us. Through caring for Tommy, Marrs’ family learned how willing they would be to give up so much for someone who needs it.

Movieguide® previously reported:

Using a video of a chicken hatching from its egg, Danny Gokey explained what nature can teach us about the character of God.

“Look at this. We have a chicken in our incubator and it just hatched. See that hole there?” Gokey said. “It’s been working for hours to get that hole. I bet that chicken, if it were a human, would be all discouraged and depressed because, you know, I’ve put in a lot of work and I’m not out of my egg yet, but look at it. It’s consistent and it’s breaking through the egg.”

“Science says if you break the egg, the chicken will be weaker later in life. I haven’t read all the details, but I know it’s not good for the (chick),” he continued. “It’s like the trials of life.”

“Trials in life are meant to make us stronger. Breaking through that shell makes that chicken stronger, more resilient, and prepares it to be successful as a chicken in life. I believe God puts us through those same trials to develop our character,” Gokey added. “Yeah, doesn’t it kind of suck that we have to do difficult things? It does, but difficult things build good character. I saw that and thought, you know what? There’s a moment like that in creation where God teaches us lessons with those moments.”