Jeremiah 3:6-18
“I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15)
Who are your shepherds?
I have a few. By now you know the names “Ben” and “Jake.” Brianne is a good shepherd for me too, especially in terms of my self-care and healthy boundaries. I have a good counselor who helps as a shepherd for my emotions and how I process what I’m experiencing in life and work. And then I’ve had occasional shepherds – that is, friends and colleagues who arrive at a particular time and place and feed me knowledge and understanding in particular events.
So, who are your shepherds?
Naturally, of course, we will all say Jesus is our Shepherd, but I think the use of a plural “shepherds” by Jeremiah is no mistake. Jesus can still be our capital-S “Shepherd,” but isn’t at all threatened in His role by our having other people who help us care for ourselves.
It’s important to be able to name your shepherds. Maybe you even want to share that fact with them (for a friend may not always realize that their friendship is also a form of shepherding and they may delight in knowing that you love and trust them with that sort of role). Take some time and name your shepherds – not just the people you like (that should be many) nor even the people you love (you’re a Christian; you should love everybody) – no, the people who will lead you back from any idolatry in your life – intentional or accidental.
Now, similar-but-new question: Who are you shepherding? If you’re a parent or grandparent, at least part of this answer should be obvious. But are their others? Do you have a mentee (formally or informally)? Is there someone at your work or in your social network? I encourage you to be sensitive to the fact that each of you is probably shepherding someone, even if you hadn’t previously thought of it in those terms.
And it’s good to think in those terms. “Shepherd” is one of those biblical metaphors that do A LOT of work in both the Old and New Testament. Moses was a shepherd for his father-in-law. King David was a shepherd for his father. Shepherds are uniquely formed in their leadership. They aren’t CEOs or judges, sitting high and above others, giving dictates and making mandates. No, shepherds aren’t in courtrooms or boardrooms; they’re in the fields of life. They’re especially useful in the dark and scary times, when predators prowl and enemies scheme. It is then that shepherds do their best work. Shepherds aren’t corporate leaders, but servant-leaders and, so, if you are a shepherd, so should you be. Amen.
