On Becoming a Shepherd (and a Sheep)
Notes from the learning curve before the sheep arrive
In a month, my husband and I are going to become shepherds of a very adorable (and expensive) flock of sheep.
Preparing our property for these animals has been eye opening and costly. We didn’t realize how much there was to do until we began, and every time we check something off the list, three more to-do’s get added.
The whole thing has been one giant learning curve, and the sheep aren’t even here yet.
Even though we chose sheep (specifically the Valais Blacknose Sheep) for specific financial and logistical reasons, God has been gently tapping me on the shoulder about the spiritual symbolism of sheep.
It’s almost like maybe it wasn’t just a bright eyed idea by Julie… it was God’s plan to show me what it means to shepherd and be shepherded.
Did you know that sheep and lambs are the MOST mentioned animal in all of scripture? No other animal comes close.
God clearly reveals Himself through sheep and shepherding, and that’s intentional.
He is the good shepherd.
We are sheep.
Of all the things He could have used to depict our relationship with Jesus, that’s what He chose.
Maybe He REALLY wants me to pay attention.
What sheep are actually like…
..and Ac & I are about to learn this firsthand.
1. Sheep are not self-directing
Sheep don’t thrive by “following their heart.” If left alone, they:
Wander aimlessly
Get lost fast
Can’t find their way back
They need a shepherd constantly.
2. Sheep are defenseless
They have:
No claws
No fangs
No speed
No camouflage
A sheep alone is easy prey.
3. Sheep are easily panicked
One loud noise. One unfamiliar shadow. The whole flock can scatter. Human nervous systems do the same thing.
This is why the Bible emphasizes:
Stillness
Trust
Voice recognition
Peace comes from recognizing the Shepherd, not controlling the environment.
4. Sheep don’t know what’s good for them
Sheep will:
Eat poisonous plants
Drink dirty water
Lie down in unsafe places
They need to be led to green pastures and still waters—they don’t naturally choose them.
5. Sheep thrive best in community
A lone sheep is a dead sheep. A flock:
Stays warmer
Is safer
Is easier to protect
This is why Scripture is so relational. Faith was never meant to be a solo act.
6. Sheep are highly attuned to voice
Sheep can recognize their shepherd’s voice and distinguish it from others. Why it matters:
Sheep don’t respond well to force
They respond to familiar, calm direction
Anxiety increases when too many voices compete
It’s pretty fair to say that I’ve spent a good part of my life not acting like a sheep. Maybe I was more like a goat. Or an untamed horse.
Stubborn. Self-directed. Easily spooked. Blew through boundaries. Ignored what was best for me. Refused to be tamed.
Let’s be honest.
Making it your life’s mission to act like a sheep is not exactly a high achieving path. 😂
It’s not really a goal to be a sheep.
But… when you have a good Shepherd, everything changes.
When sheep have a good shepherd, they don’t need to be brilliant, brave, or self-directing. They don’t need to scan the horizon all day for threats or decide which path is safest. They don’t need to know what plants are poisonous or where the still water is.
They just need to recognize the voice they trust… and follow.
That’s the part that keeps landing for me.
A good shepherd:
Goes ahead of the flock
Absorbs danger before the sheep ever see it
Sets boundaries so the sheep can relax
Knows when to move and when to let them rest
Notices the quiet ones who fall behind
Sheep never become capable. They thrive because the Shepherd is capable, and He stays close to them.
I’m learning, humans are not designed to be endlessly self-directed.
We don’t flourish under constant decision-making, ambiguity, or pressure to “figure it all out.” It’s exhausting. As someone who has spent three lifetimes over functioning, I can attest.
Sheep flourish under:
Clear direction
Trusted leadership
Consistent presence
Rhythms we don’t have to invent ourselves
I’m realizing how much of my life has been spent fighting that reality — trying to lead myself harder instead of letting myself be led well.
What I’m learning before the sheep even arrive
The sheep aren’t here yet, but the lessons are coming quickly.
In this endeavor, we’re the shepherds and the sheep are … well… the sheep. And I’m not so sure I’m a good shepherd yet. I’m worried actually I will be terrible at it. This is just another area where I’m asking God to help me, and to trust that it will all work out.
My achilles heel.
Trust.
I trust effort.
I trust preparation.
I trust over-functioning.
What I don’t naturally trust is rest. Or guidance. Or the idea that I don’t have to carry orientation for everyone and everything all the time.
The sheep will be here soon, and I’ll learn how to shepherd them the best I can. But I think the deeper work is already happening… learning to listen, to slow down, and to follow a voice I don’t have to question or outsmart.
I don’t need to become a sheep on purpose.
I already am one.
The invitation is simply to trust the Shepherd, and let Him lead.
xx
Scripture Study References
Foundational
Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my shepherd…”
Psalm 95 – “We are the people of his pasture…”
Psalm 100 – “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
Sheep without a shepherd (vulnerability)
Numbers 27:16–17 – Sheep without a shepherd
1 Kings 22:17 – Israel scattered like sheep
Matthew 9:36 – Jesus sees people as sheep without a shepherd
Bad shepherds / leadership accountability
Ezekiel 34 – Condemnation of selfish shepherds
Jeremiah 23:1–4 – Woe to the shepherds who scatter the flock
Zechariah 11 – Warning against false shepherds
God / Messiah as Shepherd
Isaiah 40:11 – God gathers lambs in His arms
Micah 5:4 – The ruler who shepherds God’s people
John 10 – “I am the good shepherd.”
Hebrews 13:20 – Jesus as the great Shepherd
Lost sheep / care for the vulnerable
Matthew 18:12–14 – Parable of the lost sheep
Luke 15:3–7 – Joy over one recovered sheep
Sheep & goats
Matthew 25:31–46 – Separation of sheep and goats
Shepherding as leadership (after Jesus)
John 21:15–17 – “Feed my sheep.”
1 Peter 5:2–4 – Shepherd the flock gently
Great Biblical leaders who were shepherds
Abraham
Patriarch of Israel
Wealthy pastoralist with flocks and herds
Learned long-term provision, patience, and trust in unseen direction
Shepherding trained Abraham to follow God without maps.
Isaac
Son of Abraham, heir to the covenant
Continued a pastoral life
Led quietly, without conquest or spectacle
A reminder that leadership isn’t always loud.
Jacob
Father of the twelve tribes of Israel
Spent decades shepherding under harsh conditions
Learned endurance, responsibility, and humility over time
Shepherding shaped Jacob from a deceiver into a father of nations.
Moses
Deliverer of Israel, lawgiver
Shepherded sheep in Midian for 40 years before leading people
Shepherding broke impulsiveness and built patience
God used the desert and sheep to remake a prince into a shepherd-leader.
David
King of Israel, psalmist
Shepherded sheep as the youngest, overlooked son
Learned courage, protection, and responsibility in obscurity
David protected sheep from lions and bears before facing Goliath.
Amos
Prophet to Israel
Explicitly identified himself as a shepherd and fig farmer
Spoke truth without ambition or institutional power
God chose a shepherd to confront corrupt leadership.
The Shepherds at Jesus’s Birth
Socially marginalized, considered unreliable witnesses
First to receive the announcement of Christ’s birth
God entrusted the first revelation of the Messiah to shepherds — not kings.