An Adventure
It's been awhile since I've posted, and my apologies to all for failing to post yet this month. Oddly, March has been a very busy time.
I've spent a lot of time in thought recently about why it really matters to follow Jesus. We discussed this topic at my students' Winter Retreat this year. I think that followers of Jesus (including myself) can often make their choice seem complacent or trivial. What really changes when you decide to follow Jesus?
You may stilll eat at all of the same places. You may treat people the same as you always have (say a polite hello to the Tim Horton's worker, throw a party for your friend, go to classes, etc.). You might actually go to church every Sunday, and that could be a change. But what else fundamentally changes?
The more that I think about it, and the more that I read the Gospel accounts, I see that the people who decide to follow Jesus enter into an adventure. They drop what they're doing and leave their homes and jobs to follow Him. He takes them to uncomfortable places (ie. homes of Roman centurions, tax collectors, areas where the poor are congregated, etc.). He demands that they serve others over and above themselves, and we see His followers endure some tough challenges because of this.
I often wonder, if we find that we are not really doing any of the above, are we really authentically following Him? I don't mean to necessarily leave your home and job, but if we're not engaging in service to others or going to the uncomfortable places, are we really living up to what He expects of us?
I think that Jesus calls us into an adventure. I think that when He asks us to make time to serve others, and go to the uncomfortable places, He will promise us quite a ride. It's amazing what you can learn about yourself when you choose to seriously engage Jesus and do things like serving food to the less fortunate, helping to build things for those in need, and associating with people who are not necessarily the most comfortable to associate with.
If we're not doing these things, then why have we chosen to follow Jesus in the first place? So He can serve us? Jesus didn't come to be served, but to serve. Wouldn't He expect the same from us?