Can Sheep Lead?
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. John 14:10 (ESV)
The best leaders have been great followers.
Have you ever seen a sheep run in front of the shepherd? Perhaps. Maybe you’ve even seen a young sheep race ahead of the flock and completely ignore the shepherd. That is quite likely to happen. In a pasture where there is plenty of new, green grass, it is not uncommon for the sheep to be scattered as they fill their bellies and drink fresh water from the streams.
They know that their loving protector is nearby. While sheep do not walk single file in a neat line, they do have leaders—elders with experience. Could it be that sheep are not as dumb as they are portrayed?
Do we have that same assurance, or do we run off to do our own thing? I would like to think that we have a higher intelligence, yet sometimes I wonder.
Who do we follow? Does the Good Shepherd still lead us or are we just trailing our elders? Perhaps here is where we might be going astray. Stepping in the footsteps of our human elders can lead us down some interesting rabbit holes. Yes, they were strong Christians, but as we all know, they were imperfect and have been known to make mistakes. Right?
We tend to be pick and choose but all of us have been disciples of someone. Hopefully, we have been led in the right direction by our seniors who loved the Lord.
Hence, I still believe that great leaders spent time shadowing, learning how to be groundbreakers with clarity and style. As Believers, we had to have formed our beliefs by listening and watching others. Then came the task of practicing this all on our own without the help of our human mentor who handed us off to the Good Shepherd (long ago). As we conquered crawling, walking and running, there was a Partner within us. The Holy Spirit showed us which path to take—usually we listened.
Now we are the older, experienced sheep who have grazed in the highlands and run from predators in the dark valleys. It is time for us to guide the younger flock with loving care and bring them safely home with the help of our good and gentle Shepherd.
Loving Lord, thank You for being our Shepherd. You never leave us even when we don’t think we need You or Your chosen path for us. Teach us to hear Your voice, follow and become leaders for You. AMEN.