Sheep

Over and over in God's Word, we are described as being like sheep. And Jesus is described as being our Shepherd. He gets us to go where He wants us to go not by pushing, it says He gently leads. Remember the 23rd Psalm - "He LEADETH me beside the still waters."

Have you ever tried to be a shepherd (leader)? Responsible for sheep who need to go in a certain direction, and you're trying to get them to go there? The sheep may be your own children, or family, or people who work with you, or just some folks you're trying to motivate to go a certain way. If you're trying to do any shepherding, take a lesson from the Great Shepherd and many other shepherds, gently lead them. Even though you sometimes feel like really pushing them. Leading works so much better than pushing.

If you're trying to push your "sheep", you tend to be impatient with them, in fact that’s why we often start pushing because there’s no response. When you are leading, you'll be willing to take the time for them to get it right. When you're pushing, you will probably focus a lot on what they're doing wrong.

If you're leading, you are dwelling on the things they're doing right and encouraging them to work on the rest. When you're behind the sheep trying to forcibly direct them, you have a tendency to make moving the most important. When you're in front of the sheep leading them, you will convey that the sheep are most important.

Are you behind those sheep, nagging, criticizing, and pushing? They will probably just run away. Or are you leading the sheep, giving correction gently and privately, praising, encouraging, and enabling?

Now, sheep sometimes wander off and they require some strong bringing back with a staff. But most of the time, all of us sheep follow gentle, consistent leadership best. We don't like to be pushed. We do like to be led. The destination the shepherd wants the sheep to go is the same, whether he's up front leading or behind pushing. What's different is how the sheep respond. If you have a sheep that isn't going where you're trying to take him or her, consider if part of the problem is the shepherd. Maybe it's time for a little less of that hard pushing from behind, and maybe it's time for a little more of that gentle leading from out in front.

Trying to be like Jesus,