The Shepherd and his flock.

Everywhere you go in Romania and Bulgaria you'll see shepherds leading sheep or goats. Not just in the country. Its not unusual to see a flock of sheep gathered with a shepherd or two feeding on the grass by the side of a busy road. The shepherds don't keep them on a leash, but the sheep don't run away. They carry a stick, but I've never seen one beating any of the animals. Often they just stand there while the sheep graze.

Its a sight which, for us in Canada, is lost in the past. When the analogy was given everyone who heard it would understand the meaning. Jesus said, "I Am the Good shepherd.... Lay down my life for the sheep..... They hear my voice.... I go ahead. They  won't follow another."

We're not sheep. We're people. Its an analogy and there's a principle to be learned. About following and leading. Its interesting to see the reality in so many places!