Counting Sheep
July 26, 2009
Some people think of counting sheep as a way of falling asleep. I would suggest it as a metaphor for staying awake and alert.
Proverbs 27:23-24 says (NIV), "Be sure to know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations."
Your business or ministry will not thrive, grow, and prosper without your attention. Your people will not become all they can be without your help. Your organization will not be protected unless you protect it.
You must pay attention to what has been entrusted to you.
Your network needs your knowledge and you need to know what is going on.
Technology is your friend. We have phones, e-mail, databases, back offices, and so many tracking tools ... but we need to use them.
We cannot assume that everything will take care of itself and that matters will be OK if we ignore them. We need a hands-on approach while trusting people, systems, and the leaders we train. We have to know what is going on with our flocks.
You are a shepherd over your business or ministry. It is your job to care and guide.
Relaxed leadership is fine; disengaged leadership is disastrous. Inattentive and apathetic leadership hurts your entire organization and all the people in it.
Some of the things that require your attention are:
1. The raw numbers. You need to be tracking the internal trends within your system.
2. The attitudes and morale of your people. Look for subtleties that need to be addressed before they become problems.
3. The trends in your industry and in those societal factors that effect and affect your industry and the attitudes of people toward it. don't be the last to know.
4. Technological advances and innovations. Don't be caught off-guard.
These are just a few of the signposts to which you need to pay attention. The bottom line is: PAY ATTENTION!
The rest of the passage (25-27) is a promise: