shepherd warrior
Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:10 pm
I find that I have a strong identification with the shepherd warrior image - maybe because of the years spent in church conflict. What is discouraging to me is that most of it was with the sheep themselves. Or perhaps it was with the "fat sheep" who "shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away." (Ezekiel 34: 20-21) At such time, I felt like I was fighting for the future of the flock God desires.
But I would also have a concern to protect the sheep, intervening in relationships or speaking to those who were seeking their own way, stepping in to challenge or discipline.
But in recent years, I noticed that I was less willing to do this. I would rather let people figure out relationships themselves, and I was less willing to stand up on principle than I was some years before. I think I had become worn out without knowing it. But there really isn't room for shepherds to let their guard down. Better to step out of the ring for awhile and rest.
But I would also have a concern to protect the sheep, intervening in relationships or speaking to those who were seeking their own way, stepping in to challenge or discipline.
But in recent years, I noticed that I was less willing to do this. I would rather let people figure out relationships themselves, and I was less willing to stand up on principle than I was some years before. I think I had become worn out without knowing it. But there really isn't room for shepherds to let their guard down. Better to step out of the ring for awhile and rest.