Hold to the Rod This was inspired by a paper written by a BYU professor. In this picture, the desert landscape represents the struggles and toils of this world and life in general. The man, represents all of us. His being stuck in the sand represents the ruts (depression, sadness, anger, frustration, pain, grief, etc.) that we get stuck in. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is reaching out with his Shepherd's crook, inviting the man to come unto him. His invitation is, "Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest." All the man has to do is grab hold of the rod to let Jesus lift him out of the rut he is stuck in.