The Good Shepherd: A Model for Leading Others

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. Earlier in life, I remember experiencing God as the Good Shepherd of me: caring for me, guiding me, and coming alongside me through life’s ups and downs. The Good Shepherd was God who I could count on to love me and guide me in all life’s challenges.

As my faith life has grown and now I find myself in the generative phase of life, I now see the Good Shepherd as a model of how I am supposed to shepherd others as a leader, wife, volunteer, and all the capacities I serve in. 

I’ll never forget a direct report of mine telling me one year around this Sunday that she was “just a sheep in need of a shepherd.” That young woman always comes to mind on this Sunday because it’s a reminder that we all look to “shepherds” in our lives for support, guidance, and help, and at one point or another WE are going to have to be that shepherd for someone else.

None of our roles are easy as adults. We shepherd lives all around us in a variety of ways - many of whom are difficult to guide down a straight path. Keeping the style of the Good Shepherd in mind can help us navigate those roles with more ease.

Psalm 23 gives us a great image to hold onto of that Shepherd. He is a caring and present guide who directs us on the right path. He gives rest to the weary, refreshes our soul, and calms our anxiety. He is a comfort and protector in the midst of fears and evils that surround us. He follows after us with goodness and love all the days of our lives. He is directing us to the ultimate goal: life in heaven with Him someday.

In other words, the Good Shepherd is a support to the sheep, tending and caring for them along the way, always having their best interest in mind. In this way, the Good Shepherd is a model for all of us leading others in our families, workplaces, and communities.