“Follow me”

Matthew 18-20 : Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Wow. This has been boggling my mind for several days. Always before, I’ve read that passage with the thoughts of “how does that apply to me now?”  But that’s only one way to look at it. This time I started to wonder what Peter and Andrew, and just after them James and John (sons of Zebedee), saw, heard, and felt that they did follow. They walked away from their jobs, families, everything that was familiar to follow Jesus. Without miracles, prophecies, or anything like that telling them to. The strength of belief that required! And what about their families left behind? Simon Peter’s wife? Zebedee? Did they understand? Did they also wish to follow? Did they give their blessing?

“Follow Me” leaves no wiggle room. In another passage Jesus tells a man to leave his dead father’s body behind before the burial and to follow. That must have been some pretty powerful spirit infusing those words.

And so I  wonder, would I follow? I like to think I would. I’m sure all Christians would like to think they would follow. but do we? In our daily lives, do we follow the example set by Christ? Do we forsake our earthly ties in favor of our heavenly ones? I always want to know where it’s going to lead, when I follow. And really, I know that by following Jesus, He’ll lead me to everlasting life in heaven. So the question turns into, am I strong enough, faithful enough to follow when I don’t know the path? When it means forsaking those in my life? And would it mean that? And do I recognize His voice when He is telling me where we are going? So many questions, and I don’t know any of the answers.