Sheepdog

I will admit, sometimes, a whole lot of times, I want to be a sheep. I want to bury my head in the sand and let someone else be the sheepdog. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about see previous post). I get tired of hearing all the news and of politics and of beating my head against the wall in utter disgust at the way our freedoms are being  taken away one executive order at a time, one bill after the other. Usually with the bleeding heart cries of "for the children" or "for the innocent."

 

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After recent events, not the least of which is the shooting at an Aurora movie theater and the shootings in Newtown, I have made the conscience decision to be the sheepdog. And as I pondered exactly how I would answer the question as to why, this came to mind.

I have a son with severe food allergies. Each and every year for the last 13 years (as long as he has been diagnosed) we have refilled his prescription for the Epi-pen. Each year we thank God we did not have to use it on him. We have NOT used it even once. But should the need arise we have the tools we need to save his life.

I look at firearms the same way. Once I have my conceal carry, no one will know if I am ready or not, but I will. I will go to sleep every night thanking God I didn't have to protect myself or my family, but should the need arise I will be prepared. I will not be a sheep waiting around for the next sheepdog. There are far fewer sheepdogs out there than sheep, and the wolves are gaining in number as well. I will practice until it is second nature. I will be comfortable with it as I am holding my own babies.

 

Here is the paragraph in the Story I linked to above that just really hits home with me now:

             "If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door."

I am not willing to wait, to pay the price of being a sheep. Understand, I am fully aware that sometimes the sheepdog is beaten, but I like the odds of the sheepdog over the sheep.

Which one are you?