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“SHEPHERD CARE” FOR SHEPHERDS

Good leaders are good shepherds. They genuinely and actively care for the people they lead. They shepherd well because they’re Shepherded well.

If you’ve read my blogs recently, you know God led me out of my “God chair” and into the great outdoors. He’s used the open surroundings to open my spirit to His in a fresh way.

Last week, God added another element to my time outside. On that particular morning, my brain fog was pretty dense. I sensed God saying, “You could exercise out here, Lisa.” (Let me back up and say that in the months prior, exercise got squeezed out of my schedule. It’s never found its way back in. But I’ve wanted it to, and I’ve asked God for help.)

“You could exercise out here, Lisa.” Hmmm… could anyone see me? I glanced to the left—nothing but our warehouse roof. I glanced to the right—no windows on that side of our neighbor’s house. And our back deck faces a soybean field.

I was good to go and did my usual 20-minute routine. Afterwards, I felt more awake, more alert, and had a great time engaging with God and His Word. Every morning since then, I’ve followed my Shepherd’s prompting to exercise, and I’m a third of the way into reinstituting that healthy habit. Best of all, I’m acutely aware of God’s TLC in my life.

How to Let God Shepherd You

  • Own your sheephood. Proud, independent leaders aren’t prone to run to their Shepherd. Accept your human frailty and embrace your need for regular time with God.
  • Ask for His care. Express your needs to God. Tell Him when you’re feeling thirsty, tired, or frustrated. He wants to hear your heart.
  • Listen for His voice. God is always speaking. As we read last week in Psalm 19:2, creation “pours for speech” about God, and so does His Word and His Spirit. We just need to quiet ourselves before Him to hear.
  • Obey His promptings. As your Shepherd, God knows the nuances of what you need and when you need it. You’re a unique sheep, and He has specific ways of caring for you. When you sense Him leading you into something new, step into it.
  • Stay close. God’s mercies are new every morning, and so is His care for us. When we’re eye to eye with God, we’re well within His reach as He ministers fresh love, truth, and direction.

Look how intentionally and gently God nurtures us in Isaiah 40:11:   

He will feed His fold like a shepherd;
He will gather together His lambs—the weak and the wobbly ones—into His arms.
He will carry them close to His bosom,
and tenderly lead like a shepherd the mother of her lambs.

If this doesn’t characterize your relationship with God, review the steps above and ask God to scoop you up into His arms. It’s what you need, and it’s what your followers need to be true of you. Good leaders shepherd well because they’re Shepherded well.

“Good leaders shepherd well because they’re Shepherded well.”

- Lisa Hosler

How is God uniquely caring for you in this season? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.


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Lisa Hosler. All rights reserved.
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