Led from Behind
When I first started my blog many years ago, I wrote a blog entitled “Leading from Behind.” In this blog, I shared some lessons I learned when on a Sabbath day walk with our dog Karrot.
In case you don’t know, Karrot was a dog we rescued when we lived in McPherson. She was skiddish, untrusting, and deeply wounded from her past. For some reason, she chose me as her person. They said she was afraid of guys who wear hats. (check and check.) Yet, when I walked into the completely separate area of the shelter where they were keeping her, she came right up to me and laid down at my feet, asking for pets. In astonishment, the workers unanimously said that she was my dog…and she has been ever since.
In my blog about Karrot, I took her on a walk at Coronado Heights and was really quite unsure how she might do. She did better than I ever imagined. When we got there, I simply asked her where she wanted to go, and so off we went a little timidly. Throughout the walk, she would gain confidence. Yet she still needed some basic directions from me, like “slow down” or “sit” while people passed by. At times, she would get a little too bold, and I would have to give her a quick tug of the leash to ensure she didn’t find herself falling or in a thorn bush. That walk taught me how to lead from behind, and I used it to talk about servant leadership.
This week, while on vacation, I began to go for runs with our dog Kricket. (Another dog we rescued this past December.) As we went for our first run, she was a little hesitant. My leadership felt like pulling. However, in a few moments, we would switch roles, and she would be the one trying to pull me. (She’s 2 years old and has a little bit more energy than Karrot, who is now 10 years old.)
After our initial tension and struggle to sync, we began to find a groove. I figured out how much tension to hold the leash with, and she figured out what her pace and boundaries were. This only took maybe a quarter of a mile, and then every day since has been a solidification of this leading, pace, and boundaries.
While on our most recent run, I began to think about God as the good shepherd, and I had an epiphany…. Shepherds lead their flocks from the back of the herd.
A good shepherd instills confidence in their anxious sheep by proving themselves to be a trustworthy guide. This allows the sheep to be led from behind, trusting that the good shepherd is looking out for them. However, this positioning gives the sheep more freedom to make common mistakes like: going the wrong direction, going at too fast a pace, getting lost, etc.
Why wouldn’t the shepherd just lead from the front? Wouldn’t that be easier and less risky? Perhaps…but there is a big difference in the outcomes of being controlled and being guided. If the sheep were led from the front, they would be controlled, learn nothing, and primarily fear the shepherd’s leadership. Conversely, if they are led from behind, they are guided by words and correction, given freedom to fail and learn, and primarily love the shepherd’s leadership. This is why sheep respond to their shepherd's voice and come running to them.
I hope you are connecting the dots between the Good Shepherd (God) and the sheep (you). I know this metaphor brings a lot of clarity for me the more I meditate on it and wait for the Lord to reveal a new element of his wisdom to me about it. Today, I’m thankful to be led from behind by a good shepherd.
Grace and Peace,
Ausrin