By Holly Culhane
We all possess it. The capacity to affect the character, development, thinking, or behavior of another. Our challenge is not whether we influence others, but how.
Followers of Christ have a divine responsibility to live in a manner worthy of their calling – to live, lead, and love as He did and as the Father admonished the leaders of Israel through the prophets hundreds of years before. We must be willing to move beyond the role of servant, to the role of shepherd – one whose submission to the Father leads to combining service to those we impact with sacrifice. Yes, we are to serve those the Father has placed in our lives, and to sacrifice for their well-being, for their good. That sacrifice requires giving up what we value – our desires, our preferences, in essence, ourselves – for the sake of what the Divine regards as more important or worthy, those He has placed in our lives for us to influence and impact.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah all speak these truths on behalf of the Father, and Jesus does the same through his prayer in the garden…
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
— Matthew 26:39
He deepens that message through his teaching to the disciples when He explains that…
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
— Matthew 20:28 (emphasis added)
It is this submission, this service, and this sacrifice that leads to the greatest positive impact in the lives of others – that of godly influence – the influence that the Father requires us to demonstrate with those entrusted to our care, whether through a momentary encounter or a lifetime of experiences.
Scripture goes beyond the overarching how to influence well, to the perfect symbol of godly influence, that of a shepherd. We see the metaphor used from Genesis to Revelation: in Moses’ writings, in the words of the prophets, in the psalms, the gospels, the epistles, and even in the declaration of the Perfect One about Himself as our Good Shepherd.
The need for humanity to give the abstract concepts of influence, leadership, and impact a visible representation is met by the Father in the metaphor of the shepherd. The one whose provision for the sheep, protection of the sheep, and presence with the sheep perfectly demonstrates the godly influence He intends for us to exhibit.
Provision: to take care of or to furnish or supply the need of another
Protection: the act of safeguarding, shielding another from harm, or guarding against danger
Presence: at hand; physically and/or emotionally available and engaged
Every responsibility of a literal shepherd with actual sheep, every godly responsibility of shepherds described throughout Scripture, and every behavior we display when we influence well those we impact revolves around these three pivotal elements of shepherding well. And they apply no matter the location or circumstance, the gender, culture, or generation of the one being influenced.
They apply to the loving, patient, gentle, kind, and empathetic shepherd most often pictured with the metaphor, the shepherd who must hold others accountable to appropriate behavior and discipline accordingly, and to those shepherds who battle the predators from inside and outside of the flock to assure a safe, secure, and peaceful environment for those they impact.
Provision. Protection. Presence. Working together with submission to the Father, service to the sheep, and sacrifice for those we consider more worthy than ourselves to produce the most miraculous outcomes imaginable. Just ask someone who has been influenced by a good shepherd. Their lives are impacted for the positive far into the future, they benefit from what they have learned from that shepherd and the trust displayed in them, and they will follow that shepherd wherever they lead. In the words of so many around the world, “Shepherding well changes everything!”
DIGGING DEEPER QUESTIONS:
- Are you able to recognize how you affect the character, development, thinking, or behavior of those you lead?
- What are tangible ways you influence those entrusted to your care by recalling a time when you influenced someone in a momentary encounter or those you have lead in a lifetime of experiences?
- Would you agree that one who is impacted positively by a good shepherd would follow wherever that shepherd leads them? Do you have an example to back up your answer?
