Beside the still waters or running a "sheep circus"?

David Hayward (aka NakedPastor) writes an interesting article about his vision of shepherding sheep. Imagine a gently sloping hillside covered with thick nutritious grass, a bright blue sky, a couple hundred sheep, one lone majestic oak, an ancient stone boundary wall and a trickling stream running down from the upper elevations. David sees the shepherd as spending endless days under that tree with his favorite book or trusty guitar, watching the sheep graze peacefully or drink from a nearby stream. There are occasional menial tasks required of a good shepherd and, of course, making sure the sheep are safe from danger, but most days are long and lazy with very little intervention required. He says, "this is pastoral ministry at its best!" But he admits the pressure of popular opinion, "Simply relaxing against that tree overlooking the flock doesn’t seem to cut it in popular opinion," and he shares the following struggle within his own soul:

I confess that I am very tempted to follow the bustling throng and, like most other shepherds seem to be doing, teach my sheep how to jump through hoops of fire, stand on their heads, form sheep-pyramids, shoulder a yoke and haul stone, hook them up to ploughs and clear forests and all kinds of other tricks. Or perhaps I could teach my sheep how to give me full-body massages. Or maybe they can chop pieces off themselves to cook me up something to eat whenever I get a hankering for lamb. Or, why don’t we just speed things up and I slaughter them all and sell their meat and turn their hides into sports-car seat covers? And I could sell the rams’ horns for shofars to blow during worship songs.

Amazing, isn't it? Can you relate? Why do we feel so compelled to run a sheep circus, when Father simply wants us to look after His sheep? Given a lush green pasture and a shepherd with an eye for wolves, most sheep don't require a lot of tending. It should be a simple, relaxing assignment that brings joy and freedom, rather than a frenetic task that requires post-graduate degrees (although I admit having one of those) and complex strategies.

It's not about us! It's not about our leadership skills. It's about leading God's people—as a community—into a relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When that's happening, it's best left alone. Unmanaged. Distraction free. Focused on Him.