FJWL_01:138
         (Dad:) Being a shepherd is one of the hardest jobs there is. It's one of the most important jobs in the Family, because you have to be a leader and a follower. You have to be a leader of the flock, and a follower of the Lord, His Letters, and your overshepherds. It can be a lonely job, as I've said, because of the decisions you have to make and the responsibility, the fame and the blame.
         But as I found out through years of shepherding, it just has to be the Lord. He has to do it. I had to learn to trust Him that He was going to keep me on track, that He would keep me from going astray, that He would help me to follow closely. I had to learn to put myself in His hands and trust that He was in control, that He would lead and guide me, and He'll do the same for you.
         I had to learn to let Him shepherd through me, and this helped to relieve the weight of the responsibility and the feeling of pressure, the feeling that I had to do it. I had to learn to trust Him for whatever problems came up, or emergencies, personality clashes, doubts, problems in the Home, personnel, or anything else. I had to learn to just give them to the Lord, and He would work them out.
         As long as you continue to read and follow the New Wine and the new moves of the Spirit, this will keep you very close to the Lord, and He will work everything out, and everything else will just fall into place. You won't have to worry about whether you're growing, or if you're staying on track, or if you're shepherding the right way, or if you're making the right decisions. Just put the Lord first--loving Him, spending time with Him, following His voice, reading the New Wine, discussing it with your Home, praying about how to put it into practice--and the Lord will bless you in everything else.
         He'll bless your spiritual growth and help you to grow and mature, even if you don't have an older shepherd or someone else to lean on. He'll teach you through the Word and the Loving Jesus time that you spend with Him, and He'll relieve the burdens of shepherding that you feel. Just let go and let God do it!



Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family