Leader-sheep

[mferrini]

As I refamiliarize myself, through some devotional reading, with the life of the shepherd, I am struck by some thoughts I had never considered before. Of particular fascination is the concept of indigenous leadership, the reality that some of the flock who are without title are nonetheless leaders and influencers. All the sheep are not ‘sheep’; whether we are talking about those who gather in the home, the classroom, the factory, the boardroom, or the church, not all are docile and accommodating souls willing to be led into green pastures. Some of the flock have ideas and experiences that build some righteous resistance and independence within their spirits.
While a vast majority of the flock are ewes, a good shepherd recognizes that there are among the numbered few some rams and some goats. The rams, the handful of males, are instinctually protective, and will demonstrate their leadership by butting heads with those who threaten the rest of the flock. I am not, in most settings, a ram, but I have been fortunate to come across many over my lifetime, willing to insert themselves between a danger and a dear one. The goats, on the other hand, are instinctually self-driven, breaking from the flock to forage as the mood strikes them. Here is where I see myself among the flock, a willing participant with a wandering eye, wondering if there are blessings away from the crowd. The wise shepherd can benefit from the leadership of the protective rams and the proactive goats.
Then there is the mariá, the ewe that is raised with the donkey. I picture the movie Babe as I contemplate the mariá, the sheep who thinks herself a donkey, the one who serves as a substitute for the mounted shepherd among the rest of the flock. Because of her special training and experiences, she commands the other sheep by her mere presence. I see myself most clearly in this mariá, for I have spent time with the Good Shepherd and his donkey and know his instruction as if it were my own; I can now stand among the flock as an imperfect representation of our Perfect Leader. I have not forgotten that I am a sheep, too, in need of guidance, protection, and restoration.
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 (NIV84)
One of the very first Bible passages I ever memorized was Psalm 100; I was in third grade. Nearly fifty years later, I am reflecting for the first time on what it means to be a sheep of his pasture. There is no one ovine model that fits all. Among the flock some are ewes, some are rams, some are mariás, and some are goats. All of us have a role in leadership, whether it be the caretaking of the ewes over the lambs, the protective guard of the rams, the creative vision casting of the goats, or the steady guidance of the mariás. I am blessed as I consider that the Good Shepherd has brought each of us together as His flock, each of us uniquely gifted to the sake of one another.