Herd Mentality
Our cats love to wake me up around 3 or 4 in the morning to either come inside or go outside. I call it “the changing of the guard” because the boys seem to trade their posts several times once darkness falls. A few nights ago, when I got up to open the door, the full moon illuminated at least eight deer in the front yard in the grass atop the hill where the snow had melted. While all eyes were on the house and ears perked at the sound of the door opening, not one ran away. I suppose I am glad that they feel safe on this hill—although I wish they would tell their cousins over in Brownsburg to stay off the road!
Herd mentality can be harnessed for good or ill. One of my dearest friends participated in The People’s March last Saturday in DC. She truly felt compelled to attend and witness the power of peaceful protest. This is the first time she has ever attended anything like this, and she traveled with a group on a bus from Richmond. She went alone, not having any other friends going along and met other women on the way. As a faithful Christian, she felt that God was calling her to join others in being a voice for the voiceless, standing up for the rights of the oppressed, the imprisoned, the widowed, the orphaned, the marginalized. While I admire her tenacity, I confess I prayed all day for her safety, because as we know, we live in a time when senseless violence is the norm.
She told me that all along the sidewalks as the marchers passed, there were “Christians” lined up with signs emblazoned with hate speech and vitriol was spewed from the mouths of people claiming to do so in the name of God. This was heartbreaking for her to witness. Regardless of where we might stand on the issues and rights facing humanity today—I hope we can all agree that our God is a God of love, not hate. 1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
Today I am contemplating, in a time when our faith, our denominations, our country and world are so divided, how can we harness the herd mentality for good? Or perhaps, rather than a herd, you’d consider it a flock? How can we--as faithful Christians and faithful community participants, as faithful members and friends of New Providence church—how can we move together as a herd toward that which is good and glorifying to God? It certainly takes respect for one another and love for one another. It also takes commitment to the cause (the cause being disciples for Christ). I hope in 2025 we can raise our banners declaring that our God is Love. I hope we can in our words and actions be the church that serves God and community, as we have done since 1746. And I hope we can do it guided by the Holy Spirit and united under the auspices of grace.