TODAY ~

The apostles dropped everything and followed Jesus even though they felt that they were sinners. I’m sure they didn’t have a clue what would be expected of them, but they still said yes. We are called by Jesus to follow him. So what is holding us back? Are we afraid of what others may think of us? Do we just not want to do what we are being called to do? Are we more like Jonah than the apostles? There have been times in my life when I felt God calling me and I walked – no ran – in the opposite direction. You have to understand that the ONE thing I never wanted to do in life was teach! Given how I have spent the last 40 years, you might find that surprising, but it’s true. However, when I was in college my father suggested that I take some courses that I could fall back on if my life’s direction changed. So, I took some ed courses. Then in grad school I was assigned the task of helping out in the education department and discovered not only that teaching wasn’t that bad, but that I had been a teacher right along without even being aware of it! Now, if I had been like Peter, Andrew, James and John, I would have studied to become a teacher right away, but I’m not sure it would have been the right decision at the time. Jonah had to learn a few things before he set off for Nineveh. Maybe he wouldn’t have been as successful if he hadn’t experienced God’s power. There are others who know right away that God is calling them in a particular way and trust that God knows best. There are also those who reject God’s call – like the rich young man in another Gospel story – because they don’t want to give up whatever plans, possessions or habits they have that they feel are more important. If you are like me and Jonah, then know that God keeps calling us and when the time is right we follow his directions. If you are like the apostles, I congratulate you on your faithfulness. If you feel as though you fall in the third category, please know that with God all things are possible and trust that the path he has chosen for you will far outweigh any plans you have made for yourself.