Voices – May 02, 1999
In the days when people depended upon sheep for food and clothing, village shepherds often gathered their flocks into a single sheepfold at night. Once the sheep were gathered in, one of the shepherds could stand watch at the gate and protect the sheep from predators. In the morning the other shepherds returned, and each called to his flock. The sheep, recognizing the voice of their own shepherd, would follow their master. In this way, the sheep were separated and taken to pastures for the day’s grazing.
Today we, like the sheep of olden times, have many voices calling to us. We need to know which ones to follow. The media, special interests groups, friends, and coworkers are just some of the voices that beckon us to follow them, to accept their ways, to do as they prescribe. While this is not bad, a problem can arise when people follow a voice without thoughtfully choosing from which pasture they want to feed. In the end, people who thoughtlessly follow others often find themselves in a place they don’t want to be.
And are we mindful that we can be a voice for others to follow? Sometimes, by the actual things we say, we lead others; but more often we call to others by what we are and what we do. One day a woman opened the newspaper and discovered the obituary of a man who lived across the street when she was a child. She seldom spoke to the man, but often she watched from her window as he cared for what she thought must be a magical garden. No one in her family kept a garden. But across the street the man, who obviously found great peace in his work, made new colors and flowers constantly bloom to brighten her young life. A few months later the family moved, and the woman never saw the man or his garden again. Yet, she carried with her into adulthood the image of that garden.
With tears in her eyes, the woman shut the newspaper and walked to her backyard, where she had, through much effort and time, replicated the old man’s cottage garden. As she meandered through the colorful flowers, she realized that this man had no way of knowing how much joy and happiness had been hers because of his example.
Each of us follows voices that call to us throughout our lives. And no matter how insignificant we think we are, each of us becomes a voice to neighbors, friends, and families. As we remember this, we can also look for and follow the best of life’s shepherds.
Program #3637