The Sheepdogs of the Flock
By Karis Taylor
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Sheepdogs. When it comes to sheepdogs, there are two types of people. Either sheepdogs are important to you and vital for something you have to do, or they aren’t important to you at all and aren’t vital for anything. I think I walked in, more like logged in, to this month’s high school chapel expecting something similar to last time, but boy, was I wrong! And I’m so glad I was! Something that was mentioned is how we are always in a state of learning, especially when it comes to the Lord. Just as soon as we think that we can’t possibly learn any more, God teaches us something new. When I saw that this month’s chapel was going to be about a flock of sheep, their shepherd, and two sheepdogs, I was confused but intrigued, to say the least; and I learned something new. But back to what I was saying…..sheepdogs.
Where ever there is a flock of sheep, no matter how big or small, there will always be a shepherd guiding them and two sheepdogs. The most common sheepdogs are border collies. Border collies are highly energetic, athletic, and extremely intelligent. While the shepherd is in front of the flock, the two sheepdogs will trail behind the flock. Here, in the back of the flock, they serve two purposes: they heard the sheep forward and make sure that no one gets left behind, and they protect the flock from any approaching danger. Contrastingly, sheep are not very intelligent. They’re rather stubborn, they don’t listen, they stray from the path that the shepherd is leading them on, and they even actively rebel. So when Jesus calls us His sheep, He is probably refers to that metaphorically and literally. We, like sheep, are stubborn, and we think our way is best. When we can’t see where we are being led, we try to go a different way; we don’t listen, our faith in our shepherd falters, and we actively rebel against Him.
John 10:24-28 says, “The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tells us.’ Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The words I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.’”(John 10:24-28). 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”(2 Tim 2:13). So even though we are sheep, at the bottom of the food chain, stubborn, rebellious, and hard-headed in our faithlessness, our shepherd still calls out to us. Just like John 10:28 said, nothing will ever be able to pluck us from His protective hand. Just like His strength is perfected in our weakness, in our faithlessness, His faithfulness is perfected.
You’re probably still wondering why my opening word was sheepdogs if I was going to spend all this time talking about the shepherd. Me too, I was confused in the chapel as to where the concept of sheepdogs was going to take us. That’s when Mr. Larry Jones mentions the song of the sheep, or in other words, Psalm 23. It’s all about how the Lord is our good shepherd. He keeps us from what we want and gives us what we need, He goes ahead of us, He restores fellowship with us, He leads us through peril, He is proactive in protecting us, He refreshes our souls, He comforts us, and He prepares a banquet for us. Verse 6 is where the relevance of sheepdogs comes in. It says, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”(Psa 26:6). The sheepdogs of our flock are goodness and mercy. They will follow the children of God all the days of their lives. And the best part of this lies with the meaning of the word, Follow. It doesn’t mean that goodness and mercy lag behind and follow us slowly as we follow the shepherd, it means to chase after and pursue. While we are following the Good Shepherd, goodness and mercy are relentlessly pursuing us and keeping us from falling off the path.
God, the good shepherd, is a sure God. Because He is a sure God, we can state confidently, as His children, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”(Psa 26:6). Past, present, and future, His overflowing goodness and abundant mercy have surrounded us. They pursue and protect us. He has anticipated our failure and faithlessness which sounds depressing, but when we remember that in our imperfection, He is perfect, we don’t have to worry about being left behind. He is relentlessly pursuing us and will never stop.
If you have still not attended one of the high school chapels, I strongly urge you to do so. They are a great time of reflection and worship as you spend time in God’s Word with fellow students, for Matthew 18:20 says, “Where there two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matt 18:20)
Works referenced:
2 Timothy 2:13
John 10:24-28
Psalm 23
Matthew 18:20
Karis Taylor lives in the Middle East with her parents and two of her three siblings. She is an 11th grader and has been a student at NorthStar for three years. She has been dancing for most of her life and is completely in love with the art of ballet. In addition to being a writer on the Navigator staff, Karis is also a member of the National Honor Society and works at her dance studio as a ballet teacher for 3-5 year olds. She hopes to pursue a career in athletic training or physical therapy in the future.