By Clara Meier

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” ~ Matthew 7:15

The Wolf Comes Disguised

When I was in grade school, our music teacher held auditions for our 4th-grade musical.  I was awarded the part of narrator for the play, which was a very important role!  A few weeks before the show was to go on, my music teacher requested that my classroom teacher help me practice, but instead of helping, she made a very hurtful remark: “I don’t know why she picked YOU for this part.  You aren’t the best reader in our class.”  I was stunned and deeply hurt.  I will never know why she chose to criticize me, but it left a negative impact on me.  I was spending time with someone who was supposed to help me, and instead, I received a hurtful remark.  Instead of a lamb showing up to gently guide me in my role, I received a wolf’s attack.

In spite of my teacher’s comment, I continued to read aloud and even joined the speech team in high school. I spent hours with the team coach, writing my speech and then rehearsing with her. Though I never placed in a competition, the gentle way the speech coach prepared me for competitions has helped me throughout life.

Are You a Wolf or a Lamb?

Though I will never know the intent of that elementary school teacher, I am sure she never intended to cause me such anxiety when speaking in front of an audience. It took me years to feel like an adequate public speaker. Even today, many years later, I still have shaky moments when speaking to a group of people. Whether planned or not, my teacher was expected to be a lamb and presented herself to me as a wolf.

How about you?  Most of us have good intentions and present ourselves as a lamb when we meet someone, whether in a classroom, joining a group, or wandering by someone on the street.  Do you present as a lamb or a wolf?  We all want to be a lamb, but are you on the lookout to keep the wolf at bay when you present yourself?  We have every intention of coming in as a lamb.  But something can bring the wolf out instead.  A bad day, fatigue, fear, and worries at home are a few things that can bring the wolf out in you.

We can all keep our ears open to Christ and remember to bring out the lamb in our meetings with others, whether friends, family, coworkers, or strangers. Christ Himself is the lamb, and He chose to be the lamb for so many reasons. We, as Christians, must listen for His direction and bring the lamb with us in our everyday encounters, banishing the wolf!

Prayer:

Father in heaven, help me be seen as the Lamb of God as I go about my everyday life.  Guide me to be gentle and understanding as I encounter others.

Call to Action:

Have you recently appeared as a wolf? How do you respond when someone appears as a wolf to you?

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