Like a Shepherd

A shepherd (or a pastor) is a being who exists to gather the flock.  He is not the charismatic one, or the ultra gifted one.  He has a sensitivity for the lost, the broken, the lonely.  He is not the public speaker or the one at the center of attention- the vision-caster:  he is the wounded healer, the one with his eye toward the person on the fringe.  He sees the potential and longs to see it encouraged and fulfilled.  I keep saying "he" but it is just as likely to be a "she".  She is the person who remembers to pray, to send a note, to ask about what is happening since you last talked.  Walking like a shepherd is a calling.