Adventuring

Jesus called His disciples with the words “Follow Me!” and as they followed Him, they left behind the familiar and ventured with Jesus into the unknown. They did not know where He was leading them, but they did know that He was the Person they wanted to follow. Think of the sense of anticipation they must have had! There is a real adventure element to being a Christian- a follower of Christ. We might not know exactly where we are going, but we do know the person who is leading us is wise, good and kind. Being a Christian may be a challenge, but it certainly isn’t boring!

This month I had a mini-adventure of my own. After a busy week I had a day to myself which I took to explore a stretch of coastline that was unknown to me. It was a special day as I explored new cliffs, rocks, and hard-to-access beaches. The best part for me was finding many caves and sea coves. God was very close to me and the whole day restored my somewhat weary soul. But the next day was even better yet.

I had the opportunity to take one of our sons to the same stretch of coastline and we explored together - hiking along the coast, climbing its cliffs and rocks and discovering all sorts of new territory. What struck me was that I could lead him safely into this adventure, because I had scouted out the land on my own (but with God) the day before. Our day out together was successful partially because, on the previous day, I had discovered plenty of dead ends and roads to nowhere - paths we did not need to take this time around.

Without a doubt one of the most satisfying things in life is the privilege of leading others into deeper paths of discipleship, in following Jesus yet more fully. But we can only lead from the front. We cannot push people from behind. We must go ahead of those we are leading, scouting out the land, and inviting them to follow along. In other words: if we are to disciple others, we must first commit to following Jesus for ourselves. Only when our life with Jesus is real can we invite others along similar paths.

We don’t have to have all the answers, but we do need to have a genuine walk with God. He reveals Himself in the reality of everyday life. It is when we follow Him in the simplicity of everyday life, each day becomes something of an adventure. And though that might be slightly out of our comfort zone, there is no better place to be then right behind Jesus. There is no better path to take than the one that Jesus is leading us in.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, that I don’t need to wonder around aimlessly. Thank You that I am invited to follow You. Please help me to be a real disciple and follow You, especially when I feel a bit uncomfortable, because I know I can trust in You. Amen.