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What does it mean to follow Jesus? The Bible seems to imply that we have to give up everything to follow the Lord, everything that we care about and love and (perhaps selfishly) desire. It's not easy!
But then I think about my son. Up until a month before I met my wife, I was convinced that I would end my days as a bachelor, but along came this wonderful woman who turned my world upside down (but that's another story). With her came her son, an adorable 5-year-old monster who doesn't know what it means to be shy. As we got to know each other, I began to take on the role of fatherhood and he slowly accepted my authority. It meant that I had to give up my bachelorhood freedoms (or most of them, anyway), and take on more responsibilities. Suddenly there were teachers' meetings, and visits to the doctor, and taking time off work to watch him perform in a school play. It meant watching how I spent my money because someone else was relyin on me now. And it meant getting out of bed on Sundays to go to church instead of sleeping until the afternoon. Basically, it meant giving up a bunch of stuff. But in return ... WOW! I get to watch this amazing little person grow up, a lovely lively child who's full of questions and respect and concern and compassion, loved by everyone he meets, and a whole lot of fun to have around. I gladly make the sacrifices just to be sure that he's happy. And in making those sacrifices, perhaps in some ways I've become a slightly better person. And then I think back to what it means to be a follower of Christ. How can you follow someone if you don't respect him? My son respects me, and he follows me. And I make sacrifices for him. And it occurs to me that it isn't I who has to make a sacrifice to follow the Lord. Jesus Christ died so that I, a grumpy old man, could follow Him to heaven. And while I'm waiting to be called home, He sent me a double dose of happiness in the form of my darling wife and this wonderful child. And I also recall that the things I gave up for my son and his mother didn't happen overnight. I gradually came to realize that it would be better if I did this and stopped doing that, and changed that other thing, until it just became a natural part of my everyday life. It finally hits home. I don't make sacrifices because I have to follow Christ. It's actually the other way around. When my heart and soul reach the point where I want to follow Christ, everything else falls into place. I find that it's not so much having to give up something as simply not having time for those worldly pursuits because I have found something better. It's not a case of "mumble grumble ... I have give this up and that up because I'm supposed to follow Christ". Instead, it becomes "YES!!! Let's go Lord!! You and me, together! Oh, by the way, I hope someone can use all these things that I no longer need".
Published: September 11th, 2005 My Sunday Examiner Articles
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