There's knowing, then there's "knowing"

[pdavelee]

As I read this devotion I found myself wondering how it is possible for a shepherd to know every sheep and goat in his flock by name and appearance. All sheep and goats look the same to me. Sure, I might note that one is dark and another light, one mottled and the other all one color. Those are broad distinctions and even I can pick those out. But beyond that they really do appear indistinguishable to me.

That left me wondering how well I really know my people. I’ve got most of them cataloged and grouped in my mind according to the very broadest distinctions, but I imagine any casual observer could know them at that level without much effort. But can I honestly say that I know my people that intimately? That I can see beyond the broad distinctions to the specific things that make them who they are?

When our church was smaller I valued the fact that I really did know my people. We ate together, played together, laughed together, and cried together. I was not the kind of pastor who hid behind the pulpit on Sundays, then fled before the sheep could catch up to me. I prided myself on being very intimate with our people. But as the church has grown, I have been alarmed to observe that I don’t know the people very deeply at all. There are some that I have history with and still know intimately, but the growing size has intimidated me into sacrificing depth for breadth. What a great challenge this devotion was.