Shepherding is not simply a job- it's a calling of the heart. Otherwise, what would attract a person to become a shepherd? The work environment constantly presents grave risks, the weather is seldom cooperative, the professional perks are virtually nonexistent, some cultures consider shepherds "detestable" (Gen. 46:34), and sheep appear to have a death wish most of the time. Shepherds have a lonely, dirty, thankless job- it's a calling of the heart. True shepherds know their sheep by name and go at great lengths to lead, feed, guard, and preserve their lives. Shepherding God's people is a matter of the heart as well. Pastor John Piper once said, "God grabs pastors by the heart; He doesn't twist them by the arm." The pastoral calling requires a keen understanding of the power of sin and the weakness of human nature. It demands one's ability to listen tirelessly to peoples' deepest secrets and scars without passing judgment on them. It calls for an extraordinary level of compassion for people to the point that, like Jesus in Matthew 9:36, your heart breaks for those under your pastoral care. It constantly convicts you to pray to the Lord for a timely word to sustain the weary. God's true shepherds know and love the sheep under their pastoral care. They steady and strengthen the weak and weary. They're not afraid to get dirty doing the hard work of ministry- healing the sick, cleansing the leper, casting out demons, and raising the dead. It's a calling of the heart.