Still following. . .

Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)

That’s what Jesus does. Simon and Andrew were fishermen and He changed their target; instead of fish, they would capture the hearts of men — for Him.

I can’t think of what I was before Jesus called me. A know-it-all who had all the answers — how can Jesus do anything good with that? If I let go of my pride and self-centeredness, maybe He could fill me with humble wisdom to give answers to others?

I’ve been an artist. I combine or recreate things I see and hopefully make them more pleasing to the eye. Doing that with sinners and a sin-filled world seems too lofty a task. Could Jesus make me an artist who could help Him transform messed up lives?

I’ve done some writing, putting together words to inform, inspire, entertain, but I don’t consider myself a skilled wordsmith. Could God still use that part of me?

This morning I notice that Jesus never told Simon and Andrew that key to their transformation would be their ability to fish. He first said, “Follow Me.” When they did that, He changed their lives.

But following Jesus is both an adventure and a peril. I’m never quite sure what each day will hold, never mind farther into the future. I used to be a planner with a predictable life. Now I wake up every morning and think ‘what surprises are going to hit me today?’ Monday was relatively normal, yet included teaching an evening class that left me wilted. Tuesday He had me answering the phone all day, mostly to counsel someone with a heavy load. Wednesday brought a relaxing meeting in the day and some special surprises at a baby shower after supper. Thursday included a pleasing yet unexpected result from Tuesday’s phone conversations.

Today? Who knows? Am I doing art? Using words? Trying to find answers? He’s shown me that I cannot draw on my old resources, so whatever happens, Jesus will stretch me beyond normal and it might not be fun. Yet whatever happens, I want it to be because I am following Him.