If you were to put twenty toys into a room with three toddlers, how long would it take for all three to fight over one toy truck?
This is called Mimetic theory.
Mimetic theory states that our wants and desires are not individual and that human desire is more imitative than we realize.
We learn what to want by seeing what others want.
Bombarded by algorithms, advertising, and peer pressures, we can become like sheep. And sheep need a shepherd.
So like sheep, when someone or something comes along and finally makes us feel safe, loved, or worthy, we follow them.
And our track record for choosing shepherds can be lousy.
I think the real danger doesn’t come from wolves in sheep’s clothing but from wolves dressed up as shepherds.
So how do you spot the difference between the wolves and a good shepherd?
The shepherd never holds auditions.
The shepherd never mentions the quality of sheep they demand.
The shepherd never bases their protection, love, and concern for their sheep on how they look, feel, behave, or achieve.
That’s never the basis for belonging to the flock of a good shepherd.
That’s something the wolf whispers.
The Good Shepherd has called your name since you drew your first breath. You know the voice.
It has always been there.
Underneath echoes of insecurity, cries of wolves, and the murmurs of the other sheep, the Good Shepherd’s voice has always been there.
It is the voice of the one who lays down his life for us.
Who lays down his love for us: exhausted, terrified, would rather be anything else but sheep, always right there saying:
“You belong to me.”
“You belong.”
The Lord is your Shepherd. What more could you want?