“Follow me.”
As I read through the Scriptures, whenever Jesus said “follow me” there was never any itinerary.
He never said, “Follow me, and we’ll be staying at Martha’s house. She’ll make us a killer pot roast.”
He never said, “Follow me, and I promise you won’t get sick or be hurt.”
He never said, “Follow me, and we’ll be gone for a week, come back for a few days to do laundry and get our feet washed, and then we’ll set out again for another week.”
He simply said…
“Follow me.”
Most of the time (in the situations with the disciples anyway) we are told that they left and followed Jesus. In some translations and occurrences, it even adds “without delay.”
I am a bit compulsive when it comes to planning. For our wedding, I had a twenty page guidebook for every person in the wedding, color coded for when and where they needed to be, what the layout of the church was like, and phone numbers for every vendor, and everyone else in the wedding party.
I color code my clothes in my closet and back when I had an office job, would plan out my outfits for the week, often times writing it down.
I like to plan.
Since the devastation in Haiti is so new and fresh, many logistics such as where we’ll be staying and what it will be like are only now being finalized, a few days before the trip.
The teams already on the ground (God bless them – they went into the rubble and connected with their partner churches) have been working tirelessly to find us safe shelter.
We’re working on who’s bringing what food so we are not draining what little resources the Haitians have. And I’m the weird one. The one who’s allergic to wheat, so I get to plan my own little menu.
My trip to Haiti has already been adventure, and we haven’t left the States.
It’s been an adventure in trust and reminding myself God is faithful. He’s never let me down.
Our team currently knows the basics of what we are doing there – working with pastors, distributing supplies, caring for anyone who needs to be cared for and telling the stories of what we’re experiencing. But once we get on the ground to the base we’ll know specifically what we’ll be doing. If you’ve ever been on any kind of serious trip – especially one in a disaster relief area, you know flexibility is key because things change constantly.
You can’t plan providential, healing moments.
You can only show up and allow God to work through you in that very moment.
Is the planner in me freaking out?
A little bit.
I wonder if the disciples shared in that fear – the fear of the unknown – the fear of non-specifics – when they left all they knew behind, and followed blindly trusting a Savior.
They’re human.
I’m sure they had to.
I look at their example. History was changed by twelve men who answered yes to the call of “Follow me…” whether or not they were the slightest bit afraid.
I take refuge in knowing God was in Haiti before the earthquake. He walks before us, and with us, and lays out each of our steps.
Faith and hope and love cannot be stopped. They are supernatural forces of motion that only move forward.
I have confidence in that much.
That tiny mustard seed of faith to which I cling gives me strength to remove the mountain of fear from my heart. It’s that mountain which tempts me to retreat back into The Valley of the Comfortable.
And into that valley, I must not go.
Because I know that in The Valley of the Comfortable, the voice saying “follow me…” cannot be heard.
Follow me…
“Yea, as I walk…I will fear not.”
(Or, to be quite honest with you, I’ll at least be trying.)
——
Comments
32 responses to “The Fear of the Disciples and The Fear of Me”
Thank you for your post. I struggle with this every day. You’d think I would’ve learned by now. Glad to see I’m not the only planner struggling with this. Thank you!!
.-= Jacklyn?s last blog ..Arbitrary truth =-.
Hello! I just found your blog through twitter.
Great post!
“Because I know that in The Valley of the Comfortable, the voice saying ?follow me?? cannot be heard.”
I love that line!
.-= Fifth Street Mama?s last blog ..Motivate Me Monday – Eyes Wide Open To Truth =-.
Anne, your relevance is appealing because it’s real and not manufactured. On a regular basis I thank God to have a place to say, “me, too.” I am a big-time planner and my husband laughs because I can plan the minute details and then leave laundry to pile up (go figure). All the same, our sweet Savior and his itinerary-less, “Follow me,” is something I needed to be reminded of.
.-= Rachel?s last blog ..Seven Months Married =-.
Praying for you Anne as God leads you on this incredible journey! Reading your post reminds me of Paul Baloche’s Hosanna…. “And in Your presence all our fears are washed away, washed away. Hosanna. Hosanna…!” Thank you for this reminder.
(From Yvonne)- Anne, as long as you know in your sprit that God’s still, small voice told you “go,” you don’t have to be afraid. He and His angels will be with you.
(From Yvette) – You too? We were born a month apart, to the day, both of us on the 19th, me in Jan 1980, you in Feb. We both like Diet Dr. Pepper. And we’re both so organized we color code our closets? Wow.
(From Pete) – When I read your blog today, it was like my spirit leapt up inside me and shouted “Hooray!” Don’t remember when I’ve reacted so strongly to any blog or sermon.
I went through a major earthquake once – not where you’d think, but in Seattle. The news stories reported it as anywhere from 6.2 to 6.5 – which, if I understand the Richter scale right, means the one in Haiti was at least 30 times as powerful, and perhaps a couple hundred times so. But Seattle’s was very, very strong, very intense. I remember how surprised I was that I couldn’t tell when the ground stopped shaking – all I could tell was when it got to where it was shaking less than my knees were! (And that must have been at magnitude 4 or 5!)
Anne, like you, I’m organized and logical (but no color sense). I actually worked as a planner for almost 10 years. I’ve had to work hard to try to put logic aside and simply listen to God’s spirit. Yvonne, Yvette and Bill are all much better at that than I am. But some of the times I’ve succeeded have been SO amazing! Our whole family will be praying for you each day, both for your safety, and for you to hear His “still, small voice,” and for Him to multiply your efforts when you do.
Go with travel mercies, protection, and watchcare from God and the assurance that He is with you every step of the way. May you also have His knowledge, understanding, and wisdom in every situation you encounter. Be blessed as you share God’s absolute love (perfect, complete, and real) with all who are struggling.
great reminder. we just need to follow
.-= jackalopekid?s last blog ..follow =-.
Praying for a strong body, mind, and spirit and a flexible attitude for you. Very excited to hear about what you see, do and experience as well as the growth that God has planned for you. Safe trip!
.-= Cindy Graves?s last blog ..Sex, Lies, and Religion by Randy Elrod =-.
what lovely thoughts Anne
and your thoughts seems to gather up more lovely thoughts
from other lovely people who follow your words
you just sold another book