I have been very blessed to have had parents and grandparents who genuinely sought after God, and modeled that for me in life. I was also very blessed to have been in churches which didn’t burn my love for the body of Christ. I didn’t always notice that, but no doubt even the parts I didn’t notice had a profound impact on me. We were involved in the life of our church and men and women within the church were involved in my life as well. The churches were small enough for me to spend personal time with both the pastor and the youth pastors. I experienced involved Sunday school teachers, youth workers, and other men and women who poured their lives into serving Christ and others. God used all of these people before I left home to instill in me a love for the church, and a desire and respect for shepherding, for all of them were involved in shepherding my heart.
At this point in my life in 2012, that involvement in church, and the church’s involvement in my life comprise roughly one half of my life. Many might define this as a “sheltered” experience. In the latter half of my life, I’ve encountered broken and split churches, ruined pastorates, what seems like a surge of scandal within the church, and numerous people who’ve had such bad experiences with church that they have sworn it off, though they still desire a vibrant Christian experience. I’ve encountered many people my parent’s age and younger who are not in church because they’ve been so hurt by the people of the church.
I believe my sheltered experience, which was also a time of self absorption at which time I knew nothing about real life problems, the people who shepherded my heart during that time, and the people whom I’ve encountered the last half of my life with real problems have all been used by God to shape within me a love for the church and a love for shepherding. Let me explain.
I was able to reap the benefit of being very sheltered by loving parents and at the same time reap the benefit of people who were involved in shepherding hurting people. I remember a scene from the movie “We Were Soldiers” in which Lt. Col. Hal Moore and news reporter Joe Galloway were kneeling over some dead soldiers. During their conversation in this scene, Lt. Col. Hal Moore asked Joe Galloway, “…Why are you here?” Joe Galloway responded, “’Cause I knew these dead boys would be here, sir.” I realize I was only a small reason for those Sunday school teachers, and youth workers, and youth pastors, and pastors to be involved in church. They were there because they knew the people who needed Christ would be there. They were there because they knew hurting people would be there. They were there to shepherd others. I didn’t get that then. I thought they were there just for me.
Later I was faced with the reality many people experience in church, or out of church I might say. My respect for those shepherds has ever increased. I’m not making this point to compare Christians nor to indicate that I think less of the hurting ones who’ve left church, or more of the shepherds. But I am making this point to say that God gives the church some shepherds for the others. And the shepherds may sometimes become the others. And this still doesn’t explain why some have been hurt by the shepherds or the church. But maybe this explains why I still believe God’s program involves a broken church, and I’m not ready to chunk it just yet when I’ve been hurt by it. I have a fondness for true shepherds in God’s flock. And I have a fondness for God’s flock, even when I’ve been hurt by it.
