A friend who once worked with sheep related this tidbit to Kevin: If one sheep is the first to do something, the others will follow it in minute detail, no matter how stupid or dangerous it is.
A sheep can jump three feet in the air to sail over a bale of hay. Every sheep after him will jump exactly three feet when approaching the same bale. If you put a second bale on top of the first one, their MO will remain the same. All the sheep will jump only three feet up, plowing into the second bale.
I wonder how often I act like an unthinking sheep. “Super Editor (or Agent or CEO) says I must jump this high over this many bales and have this many sheep following me, or I have zero chance of landing a book contract.”
No matter that the bale in front of me is taller or smaller, my hooves are a different size than the lead sheep, or that the Shepherd is calling to me from the sidelines to jump a different way. The lead sheep set the standard. Here I jump, a carbon copy of her.
If I crash and break a nose or an ego, I can’t blame my Shepherd. He tried to direct me with His staff, guiding my steps with His tender words, but I ignored Him. I was intent on following that lead sheep. Who had time to stop and listen to the Shepherd?
Dear friends, each lamb’s path is different. If we try to follow another sheep, we will not fulfill the Good Shepherd’s plan for our own lives. He knows best what the perfect, custom-made design is for each of his beloved lambs. Only as we get alone with Him, asking for His divine wisdom and seeking His unique purpose for us, will we sail over those bales of discouragement, fear, and closed doors.
I know you. I know what your answer will be. Still, I must ask: Will you follow the lead sheep, or chase after the Shepherd?
