shepherd or sheep herder

When I follow Christ's, ...
                                            ... I follow his teachings,

• I receive additional inspiration.

• I hold myself accountable to follow the new teaching. 

• I may not compel my brothers and sisters to follow these teachings.

• I have friends and family who have chosen different lifestyles. 

• I  desire to be a shepherd and lead them to him . 

• I have tried in the past to drive them as a sheep herder. 

• These attempts were less then successful.

 Shepherding is a long and slow and difficult process.  

Jesus suffered in Gethsemane ...
          ....died on a cross at Calvary
                         ...because he would not compel people  ...

...to accept him as their King and Redeemer.

“A mother does not give her child a blue bow 

because she is so ugly without it. 

A lover does not give a girl a necklace

 to hide her neck. 

If men loved Pimlico

 as mothers love children,

 arbitrarily, 

because it is theirs, 

Pimlico in a year or two might be fairer than Florence. 

Some readers will say that this is a mere fantasy. 

I answer that this is the actual history of mankind. 

This, as a fact, is how cities did grow great. 

Go back to the darkest roots of civilization 

and you will find them knotted round some 

sacred stone or encircling some sacred well. 

People first paid honour to a spot 

and afterwards gained glory for it. 

Men did not love Rome because she was great. 

She was great because they had loved her.”

 (G.K. Chesteron,Orthodoxy)

Do we love our fellow men ..

.... or just seek to compel them to be just, right and good. 

To love someone does not require me to change my personal code of ethics.

Christ like love mandates that I treat my fellow brothers and sisters ...

 ....as I would hope to be treated

This reciprocation may or may not happen.

 “But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)