You Don't Have to Be Popular
Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 12:20 am
It's amazing to me that a dog will give up its life to protect sheep. It's not always appropriate to ascribe human traits to animals, but I can't help seeing a noble sense of duty and selflessness in that. What does a dog gain from sheep? Why would it give its life for animals who don't even appreciate them very much?
Throughout history God has used men and women to serve the function of sheepdogs among his flocks. They sound the alarm when danger is near, and even when they are quiet, they are intensely watchful, always on the alert. The sheep are not aware or appreciative of their vigilant guardians, yet they continue to keep watch.
When they do sound the alarm, the sheep become agitated. They are bothered more by the noise of their guardians than by the reality of the impending danger.
My wife and I kept a dog for the first seven years of our marriage. He was of a breed known to bark a lot, and he lived up to our expectations. He barked all the time. Whenever a neighbor came home and rattled their keys in the door, he barked. Whenever one of us came home and the garage door opened or closed, he barked. Sometimes, for no apparent reason at all, he would stand by the window and bark into the dark -- that was always a bit creepy. In my mind I knew that he would serve as our early warning system if there ever were to be an intruder, but I never welcomed the sound of his barking as a good thing.
We pastors sometimes need to play the role of sheepdogs. We are driven by a deep instinct to protect the sheep. Sometimes we have to make some unwelcome noise to arouse them. We must not back away from this duty when we are chastised for making too much noise. The function we play as sentinels may not make us popular, but that is not why we do what we do.
Throughout history God has used men and women to serve the function of sheepdogs among his flocks. They sound the alarm when danger is near, and even when they are quiet, they are intensely watchful, always on the alert. The sheep are not aware or appreciative of their vigilant guardians, yet they continue to keep watch.
When they do sound the alarm, the sheep become agitated. They are bothered more by the noise of their guardians than by the reality of the impending danger.
My wife and I kept a dog for the first seven years of our marriage. He was of a breed known to bark a lot, and he lived up to our expectations. He barked all the time. Whenever a neighbor came home and rattled their keys in the door, he barked. Whenever one of us came home and the garage door opened or closed, he barked. Sometimes, for no apparent reason at all, he would stand by the window and bark into the dark -- that was always a bit creepy. In my mind I knew that he would serve as our early warning system if there ever were to be an intruder, but I never welcomed the sound of his barking as a good thing.
We pastors sometimes need to play the role of sheepdogs. We are driven by a deep instinct to protect the sheep. Sometimes we have to make some unwelcome noise to arouse them. We must not back away from this duty when we are chastised for making too much noise. The function we play as sentinels may not make us popular, but that is not why we do what we do.