Shepherding Well
We all possess it. The capacity to affect the character, development, thinking, or behavior of another. Our challenge is not whether we influence others, but how.
Followers of Christ have a divine responsibility to live in a manner worthy of their calling. We are to live, lead, and love as Jesus did and as the Father admonished the leaders of Israel through the prophets hundreds of years before.
Submission, Service and Sacrifice
We must be willing to move beyond the role of servant, to the role of shepherd. The shepherd is one whose submission to the Father leads to combining service to those we impact with sacrifice. Yes, we are to serve those the Father has placed in our lives. We are to sacrifice for their well-being, for their good. That sacrifice requires giving up what we value – our desires, our preferences – in essence, ourselves. We do so for the sake of what the Divine regards as more important or worthy, those he has placed in our lives for us to influence and impact.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah all speak these truths on behalf of the Father. Jesus does the same through his prayer in the garden, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). He deepens that message through his teaching to the disciples when he explains that he “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28).
This is the influence that the Father requires us to demonstrate...
It is this submission, service, and sacrifice that leads to the greatest positive impact in the lives of others – that of godly influence. This is the influence that the Father requires us to demonstrate with those entrusted to our care. They may be entrusted to us through a momentary encounter or a lifetime of experiences.
Provision, Protection and Presence
Scripture goes beyond how to influence well, to the perfect symbol of godly influence, that of a shepherd. We see the metaphor used from Genesis to Revelation: in Moses’ writings, the words of the prophets, in the psalms, the gospels, the epistles, and even in the declaration of the Perfect One about himself as our Good Shepherd.
The Father meets the need of humanity to give abstract concepts of influence, leadership, and impact a visible representation in the metaphor of the shepherd. The one whose provision for the sheep, protection of the sheep, and presence with the sheep perfectly demonstrates the godly influence he intends for us to exhibit.
- Provision: to take care of or to furnish or supply the need of another
- Protection: the act of safeguarding, shielding another from harm, or guarding against danger
- Presence: at hand; physically and/or emotionally available and engaged
These are the three pivotal elements of shepherding well. We see them with every responsibility of a literal shepherd with actual sheep. We recognize them in every godly responsibility of shepherds described throughout Scripture. Also, we practice them in every behavior we display when we influence well those we impact. They apply no matter the location or circumstance, the gender, culture, or generation of the one being influenced.
These three elements apply to the loving, patient, gentle, kind, and empathetic shepherd most often pictured with the metaphor. They apply to a shepherd who must hold others accountable to appropriate behavior and discipline accordingly. They also guide shepherds who battle predators from inside and outside of the flock to assure a safe, secure, and peaceful environment for those they influence.
A Shepherd’s Influence
Provision. Protection. Presence. Working together with submission to the Father, service to the sheep, and sacrifice for those we consider more worthy than ourselves, they produce the most miraculous outcomes imaginable.
Just ask someone who has been influenced by a good shepherd. Their lives are impacted for the positive far into the future. They benefit from what they have learned from that shepherd and the trust displayed in them. And, they will follow that shepherd wherever they lead. In the words of so many around the world, “Shepherding well changes everything!”
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Holly Culhane is Founder/CEO of Presence Point, a ministry that exists to equip leaders to live into their calling as shepherds in the lives of those they lead, in every walk of life all over the world, and partners with multipliers who wish to do the same within their sphere of influence. Holly can be reached at Holly@PresencePoint.com.
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