Campus CrossWalk Magazine: 2006 Spring Issue -- Herding Cats

Perhaps you’ve heard someone refer to something that’s difficult as being like “herding cats.” Although it seems to be impossible, I’m here to tell you that I’ve seen it done (sort of).

My grandmother had a farm in Tennessee, with the usual collection of barnyard animals. She also generally had ten to twenty cats at a time. She didn’t buy them or get them from a shelter; they were strays that found their way to her doorstep. She didn’t name or pet them or treat them as we do cats these days, but she cared for them with the same general concern she showed the other livestock.

She liked having them around because they ate mice. And since that was their purpose, she didn’t feed them a lot. But once a day she would put milk out for them. And that was quite a sight! They ran like crazy when she’d appear with dishes of milk. Once a day at my grandmother’s back door, they “came together as one.”

Was this really the same thing as “herding” them? Well, not quite. But then Christian unity is not found by “herding saints,” either. Unity among saints is accomplished when all the saints have a common objective that’s outside themselves -– it should be a consequence, not an objective.

There is an important distinction here. It’s the difference between pursuing unity as its own end and when a group of people all simultaneously pursue a common objective; like God’s kingdom, for instance. When you and I pursue His righteousness, we will converge in unity, just as the cats converged on their milk. You and I will become unified when we are fellow disciples, totally devoted. When you and I find that we’re fellow pilgrims on the same road, going to the same destination and that we share a common love, we will become “as one.”

Very few times in the Bible will you find the expression “as one” to describe the relationship that existed between God’s children. But when you do, you’ll find that, without exception, it was because they had a common objective.

Unity Happens

In ancient Israel, sheep weren’t herded like American cowboys chase cattle. Shepherds led sheep -- and sheep followed. Christians follow – we aren’t chased!

Common objectives create unity on campuses daily. The sports teams pursue the championship, and ‘self’ melts before the goal. Study groups get together to conquer an exam, and lab partners work together to solve problems.

The solution to unity is staggeringly simple for Christians:

Unity happens when we aggressively and exclusively pursue God’s agenda ahead of all else! (“Thy will be done…”)

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness…” Or we may put it other terms. The term “purpose” has become popular these days. How many purposes do we have? To look at churches, it seems there are several, but our Lord and Savior had only one: “to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19.10)

As imitators of Christ, let’s center ourselves on His purpose, and watch unity “happen.”

With Whom May I Be United?

Again, let’s focus on our purpose and our role in His Kingdom: we are servants. To do His will, we must know our “job,” and He has called us to be messengers, not judges. Jesus said to:

: go,

make disciples,

baptize, and

teach to obey

Without judging, we can discover if another is a disciple, baptized, and/or obedient. If she’s an un-baptized disciple, then our job is to try to baptize her. If he’s a baptized believer but disobedient, my job is to try to lead him gently home. Our job is not to judge, it’s to sow seed, meet needs, and to serve.

Who is God’s child? Whoever God has adopted into His family.

When we are committed aggressively and exclusively to His will, unity happens.

Just trust Him on this.

Kirk McCrary is a California native who left the corporate world to become a preacher in Orange County. He has a BA in Biblical Languages from Harding and studied Biblical Languages as a grad student at ACU.