Blind Leading the Blind

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture

Psalm 100:3 (KJV)

What happens in our churches when the blind lead the blind? What happens in families? We must be mindful not to be Pharisaical in our thinking, and in our approach to life. (It’s easier said than done sometimes!) I think it’s a natural desire for most Christians to want God to work IN us and THROUGH us. But, it gets hard, perhaps a little LESS natural for us when it requires sacrifice. “The eating of crow or taking the high road” can certainly be a challenge. We should make a point to NOT be the type of person who says one thing, but does the opposite. It’s rocky ground! And it hurts the cause of Christ.

I came across an article last year (The Washington Post) in which it told the story of several shepherds. (There’s something about sheep and shepherds that I just gravitate to, so the story caught my attention!)

The setting was not too far from Istanbul, Turkey. It was hot. Early morning time. It was quiet. The sound of hooves on the dirt and wind slightly whistling through the olive trees sprinkled the air. All of the grazing sheep were clustered together eating their morning breakfast. It was a “regular” and ordinary morning under the shepherds’ watch.

Yet…One little sheep wandered away. Casually at first. Then in full throttle, it unexpectedly jumped off a 45 ft precipice to its demise! Gone in an instant!

Then to compound the problem, without hesitation, the other 1500 sheep followed suit! Bam! Before the shepherds could do anything about it – over the cliff ALL the sheep went!

What a horrific and stressful scene that must have been for the shepherds! I can hear their screams and cries in my mind’s eye. How frightening and catastrophic that must have felt in those first few minutes.

The good news?? About 1,000 of the sheep survived because of the billowy, cottony wool that they sported. (And because of God’s grace. It is Amazing!)

It makes me wonder what our Heavenly Father thinks when He sees us…blindly following toward the ravines and gorges in life. Jumping on someone else’s “bandwagon” or taking ought with things we have no business in. We must not be blind in our following, but look to God’s Word. Spend time in prayer. Seek discernment. (Life Moment: You understand that God’s Word does not change. Use God’s Word as your road map and it alone! Because someone seems highly favored, much respected, and well thought of, strangely enough, it doesn't mean they’re not blind themselves.)

Let’s be reminded we’re under the Good Shepherd’s watch! We are HIS Sheep. We are HIS people, if we've accepted Him.  

Yet, how easy it is! We can leave the path of righteousness before we barely know it, and find ourselves right smack-dab in the middle of a rocky, barren, snake infested cliff!

If you see (or hear) a fellow sheep straying, try to call out. Help them! Point them BACK to the safety of our Shepherd. Not in a judgmental way, but in a spirit of love. They may not accept your Christian insights, but at least you will have tried to point them to the caring arms of our Good Shepherd. HIS rod and staff will protect us!

Look UP my friends!