Be a Lemming!

Growing Daily

Be a Lemming!

Lemmings got a bad rap.

For years, we were told these little creatures had a self-destructive tendency to follow each other into dangerous situations. It was even said they’d mindlessly march right off the edge of a cliff, one after another, without pausing to assess the situation.

“Don’t be a lemming” is still a common warning against blindly following the crowd.

As it turns out, lemmings don’t actually behave that way at all. The whole story was a myth. All this time, we’ve been accusing lemmings of something we humans are far more likely to do!

Scripture says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own” (Isaiah 53:6).

One of the easiest ways we stray is simply to drift with the crowd without evaluating the consequences. Sin rarely feels dangerous when everyone around us is walking in the same direction. But Jesus warned that the road leading to destruction is wide and crowded (Matthew 7:13). He calls us to follow Him, even when that path is narrow or unpopular.

So perhaps it's time to change the old saying. Today, BE a lemming! Choose not to follow the crowd. Instead, follow the Shepherd who leads to life.


- Ron Reid