Psalm
23:6a Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life.
I am going to ask you to do something. I want you to
summarize what you have learned in life in a single statement. Yup, take all
your years to this moment and summarize them in one life statement. Are you
terrified or scared? How long does it take you to do this?
When asked this question, Nikita Khrushchev, a former
leader of the old Soviet Union said: “Never turn your back”. Conrad Hilton, the
founder of the Hilton Hotel chain said: “The shower curtain goes inside the
tub.” Many people settle for simple, shallow views of life. We do not need to
be a philosopher to have our own creed to live by. But we should know our basic
or foundational belief from which our life grows.
Shepherds know the basics. David’s foundational
belief as a shepherd was that the sheep are to be protected and nurtured.
Without this principle he and others would perish, life would have no material
goods and things would be much worse for them all. Sheep were his livelihood.
As shepherd leaders, people are our livelihood. The
choices we make each day impact our relationships with people, at home, in the
community and at work. For Christians, people are the only “things” that will
live in eternity. Mountains pass away. Oceans dry up. Trees decay into the
floor of the forest. But all people live forever. Where they live forever is
determined now.
Shepherds can lead by responding to circumstances.
Or they can lead in response to people. The vision for the shepherd changes
when they live in response to people. The focus moves from circumstances to
eternity. Where will my sheep live when life here ends? The vision and
foundation for leadership moves to the eternal needs of the sheep and what, I,
as leader can do to ensure their eternal reward. The right vision directs our
leadership.
