Ready or Not

I got my hair chopped off again. I've been in a consistent cycle for about the last 15 years of chopping it off and "growing it out." The growing out part never really reaches its full end, because I get tired of it all much too quickly for it to grow very much. And that, my friends, is the story of my life. As a kid I rearranged my room constantly, and if you haven't noticed my propensity to "redecorate" this blog on a regular basis then you haven't been paying much attention. I love change. I see it as an adventure, and without some sort of change - well, I'm afraid life might get a little boring.

As a follower of Christ, we have to be ready for change. We have to be willing to "redecorate" our lives as we learn what it means to walk with Jesus and model our lives after His. Sometimes following Christ will mean big changes - like, for example, moving! - and sometimes it will mean small ones - like being more generous with our time right where we are. Whatever it might look like in each of our lives, our willingness to change makes all the difference in the kind of disciples we are.

I think Jesus' first disciples are great examples for us in the area of change. They dropped everything to follow Him. They walked away from their careers and their families. Matthew puts it like this:

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22

Pretty crazy, huh? Can you even imagine just up and walking away from your life as you know it? Thankfully, we are not all called to leave our homes or our families in order to follow Christ. Some of us will experience changes in our character and influence as we model our lives after the example of our Savior, but not in our location or vocation.

Others of us will have to take wild and seemingly crazy steps outside our comfort zones to follow the calling God has placed on our lives. I know a young woman who is overseas sharing the Gospel in a country where Christianity is a dangerous choice to make. Her family was frustrated and angered by her decision to follow Christ to this dangerous place. . . She did indeed have to walk away from her home and the ones she loves in order to stick to her guns and walk in the dust of her Rabbi. I pray for her, and hope that she experiences the joy of knowing that she was faithful even when it was difficult.

And that is the truth that we all must face in one way or another. No matter how much any of us may like change, following Christ will at some point require changes that are hard. I may love cutting my hair, but I absolutely hate walking away from individuals who have breathed life, joy, and wisdom into me every week for the last several years. It is never easy to surrender ourselves completely because it means that we no longer have the option of just making the choices that satisfy our personal preferences and desires.

I want to be willing to go where God wants me to go, and to stay where He wants me to stay. I want to be the kind of disciple that follows in an "at once" and "immediately" kind of way. It isn't always easy, but boy - it is worth it!

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - Jesus, John 8:12

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18