When I hear stories of people selling all their stuff and moving to another country to become missionaries, I want to like them. I really do. I want to be able to applaud their sacrifice, their willingness to give up all they’ve known, their dedication to following Jesus even though it seems so extreme. Except most of the time when I hear those stories, I get kind of annoyed at these other people’s piety, and then feel kind of ashamed that I’ve never done anything so extreme for Jesus. Almost every time I’ve gone to another country, it’s been for a vacation, not to serve Jesus.
There are two rather different stories of Jesus calling his first disciples. In the book of Matthew, it takes all of two verses (Matthew 4:18-20):
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 send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
 |
| Photo Credit: Flickr User SteFou!, Creative Commons |
The book of Luke records things differently, and I appreciate the perspective it offers. Instead of instantaneously dropping everything to follow Jesus, Luke 5 shows that it takes a bit for Simon Peter to come around to the idea. First Jesus asks to borrow his boat, which Simon Peter agrees to. Next, Jesus, a non-fisherman, gives Simon Peter, a professional fisherman, unsolicited advice about how to catch more fish. I love Simon Peter’s response in verse 5--it comes across almost a bit sassy.
Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.
This fuller version of the story from Luke is easier for me to relate to. While Simon Peter's willingness to follow Jesus is still quite abrupt (it's not like he had time to get his affairs in order), it was a bit more gradual than Matthew’s telling of the story records it to be. The task Jesus called him to--leaving everything he knew to literally follow Jesus and learn from him--was drastic, but Simon Peter sensed that this rabbi he had agreed to follow wasn’t just any old good teacher; he was signing up to follow God.
When we agree to follow God, it’s possible he’ll call us to move to another country to become missionaries, but he doesn’t call everyone to do that. Not everyone should do that. Sometimes I feel like my own life, which is full of ordinary things like going to work, spending time with friends, volunteering at church, etc., can’t possibly bring as much glory to God as a missionary’s life.
It’s not about the actions though, it’s about the heart behind it. I don’t freely submit my life to God’s will perfectly by any means, but just because my life looks different than other people’s lives doesn’t mean I’m not still glorifying God when I allow him to be in control. First I might say yes to God in small ways, like agreeing to lend him my boat and rowing into the shallow water like Simon Peter first did. As I learn more about him and fall more in love with him though, hopefully I’ll be able to hand over more and more of my life, bits and pieces at a time--my plans for how I thought my life would go, the relationships that have become unhealthy, the comfort I thought I was promised.
Maybe the question doesn’t start with, “Will you give God everything?” Maybe the question starts with, “Will you be obedient in this moment?” There are many different ways to follow Jesus, but they all start with saying Yes.
[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]
No comments:
Post a Comment