Will I Follow Him?

Today is Sunday. One of the readings at Mass today was from Luke's Gospel, chapter 9, verses 51-62.

Jesus is on a journey to Jerusalem. It says he was "resolutely determined" to get there. On the way, at least 3 people expressed desire to follow Him. He did not immediately say, "Yes, come with me," without making known what this would mean for each one. He did let them know that to follow Him would be a serious challenge.

I'll admit, I used to think that Jesus may have been a bit harsh to these would-be followers. He did clearly make known, however, that following Him needs to be a priority, above all else.

To the first one He said that He "the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." I am thinking that the first person was used to his comforts, and that is something he would have to give up.

To the second when Jesus said, "Follow me," the man replied, "let me go first and bury my father." To me this does not seem like an unreasonable request. However now I am thinking - this is just my imagination - that the person's father may have still been living, and the person wanted to be with him until he died.This may have been days, months, or even years away. The immediate call of Jesus would have been long gone by then. (Okay, this may be a stretch, but the man was more concerned about his father's affairs than becoming a follower.) Jesus simply said, "Let the dead bury the dead." He - Jesus - is all about life. 

The third person simply wanted to tell his family "good-bye," that he would be leaving to become a disciple of Jesus. Again, this does not seem unreasonable. In fact, it seems like the kind thing to do. However, if that person would return to his family - again, in my imagination - I am thinking that the family would persuade him otherwise. "What are you thinking?" "Why would you do that?" "You don't even really know this Jesus!" And the person would be more influenced by his family than the call of Jesus. (I would even suggest that if the person did immediately answer the call to follow Jesus, the family who cares for him would wonder where he had gone and go out looking. They would find him with Jesus, and perhaps they would all become followers!)

A main point of this reading from Luke is that once you hear the call to follow Jesus - that's it! - Drop everything. Don't hesitate. Nothing is more important than becoming a follower of Jesus. Comforts are not lasting, the dead will be buried, families will carry on... But the follower of Jesus will be forever changed. She or he becomes like the One who is followed.

Just as Jesus would not wait and would not let anyone deter Him from his mission, we also should not wait nor let anyone deter us from following Him.

When Jesus makes a difference in our life, we can make a difference in the life around us with the power of Love that only He can give. Hope abounds. Faith becomes real. His love is personal, freeing and healing. We come to know God as an infinitely loving Father and we share in a common life with our brothers and sisters. He meets all our needs and more. He cannot be outdone in generosity.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20.

Yes, Jesus, I choose to follow you.

In the Garden With Jesus

People do not run through gardens. There is something so very peaceful about being in a garden that one walks slowly, sometimes pausing to take in the beauty.
 
In response to a comment on the post Walking and Talking With a Friend, I saw this video on youtube (with a share option), and so I share it here. It is an old traditional hymn about a very personal friendship with God that is found in the peace of a garden in the early morning. The hymn speaks to me of taking time in our hectic lives just to be at peace with the Lord and talk with him as with our very best friend. 

Thank you, L. for your comments, and for sharing "In the Garden."

My prayer is that each of us reading this may come to know Jesus as  Friend and Savior, that we grow in this friendship and experience the peace and the joy that only He can give.

Walking and Talking With a Friend

A friend and I have been emailing back and forth, and finally we found a time when we could get together in person. We met at a nearby recreation path. We walked on the path and we talked for almost an hour. The time flew by.

Yesterday, another friend wanted to go out for lunch. "Let's get together and go for a walk first," she said. So we drove to a recreation path in the next town. We walked and talked together before heading to the restaurant.

I came away from both of those meetings feeling uplifted and very much at peace. We had shared about what was going on in our lives, a few memories, and our plans. We shared what was new and even what we had not known about one another before. Trust grew. Friendship deepened. AND we got some exercise!

I am reminded of the Scripture reading, "Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God." Romans 15:7. Another translation reads, "Befriend one another..." I like that. Friendship is a precious gift.

In Scripture, we read that Jesus walked a lot. He walked from town to town in the company of his friends. He did a lot on walks. He worked miracles, he taught, he met new people along the way.

I want to make "walking and talking" with friends a regular part of my life. And I want to invite Jesus, who is The Best Friend, to always be with us.

"Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20. 

How to Hear From God

God wants to communicate with us. In fact, Jesus is the Living Word spoken into our lives by the Father. We can go through life, however, not hearing His word because we do not listen for Him. We don't know how, we were not taught to actually hear from God, or we are just too busy. Most serious of all, we don't care.

Where to begin?

God loves it when we ask Him questions. He loves it because this is when we are expecting to hear from Him, He does not disappoint.

Ask Him anything and see what happens. He may answer immediately through thoughts - even by one word! - ("Whoa, I never thought about that before."). Or He may answer through someone who comes into your life ("Wow, that is an answer to my question."). Or a response may come through circumstances ("I never looked at it that way before!). He may answer through something you read ("Wait, I have to read that again.").

Or He may answer in other countless ways. 

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:9.

I am thinking that if the response we hear brings us closer to Him, to know Him and to love Him even more, that response may well be from God.

Two days ago I asked, "Father, what do you want me to know about your goodness?" A one word answer came to me, almost immediately. "Constant."

God is constant. Everything around me may be changing, but God is unchanging. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8. 

The word "constant" is derived from the Latin: "con stare," translated "to stand with." God is always standing with me, no matter what I am going through.

So today, to my surprise, the opening hymn in the Magnificat prayer book is: "There is no friend like Jesus, so constant and so kind..." Wow - there's that word again. And I marvel at God's friendship, kindness, and His never changing love for us.

Asking God questions and receiving His responses to those questions is one way to grow in a personal - one-on-One relationship with Him.

So ask Him anything, and see what happens.