For our first day of inservice this fall my superintendent showed the funny commercial where cowboys are riding around in the fields herding cats. Some days, that's definitely what this job feels like if you've ever tried to teach a cat to obey (dogs love to do tricks; cats not so much!). But I think a more apt description of my job (as a school leader) is that of a shepherd. I read John 10 this morning thinking about how much I appreciate the imagery of God as my shepherd: John 10:2 - 3 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. The first thing I notice about Jesus as my shepherd is that He KNOWS me and I know Him. We have a valuable relationship and I trust that He has my best interests at heart. He knows my name and He leads me individually even as a part of the whole flock. As I imitate Jesus' example of leadership,
When I accepted a position as a principal 9 years ago, I became the person who knew and carried around the hurts, anxieties, trauma, losses, and dysfunction of all those children and adults. The only way I knew to deal with all of that heavy burden was to lay it at Jesus' feet. I came morning after morning and petitioned God to care for each of these precious people with greater compassion and mercy than even I could imagine. So, that's how I became a praying principal.