“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.)
——
Pure and simple obedience. What could be more difficult for us planners/organizers/control freaks/all-our-ducks-in-a-row types?
Knowing where the line is between extravagant faith and practical common sense is a difficult one …
A good reminder…I struggle with this also…especially the safety part. We’re told in the US…the safest place is in the will of God. After living overseas for a few years I came to realize…this isn’t true. Often times it’s Follow Me and you’ll get your heart broken. Follow me and parts of you will die. Follow me…and I’ll stretch you beyond belief.
Praying you’ll encounter God in the people you meet. Praying for a supernatural peace and joy. Praying!
Jan Owen?s last blog ..Fill Me Up…
Continue to trust and surrender. I know that He has great plans and divine moments ahead for you and your team.
I really appreciated your comment, “Because I know that in The Valley of the Comfortable, the voice saying ?follow me?? cannot be heard”. This is so true.
I will continue to be praying for you as you follow Jesus into the unknown, unsecure and unbelievable devistation. May you know His peace, protection and provision in ways that you have never experienced it before. May those you and the team come into contact with be brought to health, restoration and knowledge of Jesus. You will be a reflection of Him as you walk before them as His hands, feet and heart.
Many blessings and prayers,
Christie
Christie?s last blog ..God Is Good
I know the disciples were afraid. Many wanted to follow Jesus but came up with a bunch of excuses. “Lord, I’ll be there just as soon as I bury my dad.” “Jesus, this is pretty amazing so I’m totally on board, I just need to know where we’ll be sleeping.”
Jesus told them their priorities were a mess, but then we see the ones that got up and went. They got grumpy and bickered for position. They questioned how things were going and one even sold Jesus out. This was their own fear speaking out.
Jesus got exasperated with them. Once he even prayed, “how much longer do I have to put up with these jokers?” Considering he knew that his death was the catalyst for changing them it must have been pretty bad.
God never called us and said we can’t be afraid. He did say He would be there for us and help us along. We just have to follow. We have to try. We can’t keep coming up with excuses for why we can’t follow. That’s all there is to it.
Nick the Geek?s last blog ..Not a bad person
I’ve often wondered if the disciples really understood that the call to “follow Me” was for the rest of their lives. I mean, if your pastor shows up at your work, walks up to you, and says, “follow me,” you’d likely drop what you’re doing, hop up, and follow him, expecting to be back to work in a few minutes.
I don’t think that at all belittles what they did though because even when they probably thought it was time to go back to their “regular” work, they _kept_ following. Day by day, crazy little thing by crazy little thing. Sometimes I think it’s easier to know in advance that you’re going to throw away everything you know for something crazy, rather than just letting crazy happen each day and staying with it.
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I sometimes wonder why God made me such a planner if He doesn’t want me to plan things. I too like to know how it’s all going to go before I take a step forward. Over the years God has shown me that although He made and loves the planning side of me, which is necessary for certain situations, He wants me to be willing to be flexible for Him. I think my tendency towards planning it all out causes me to be too self-sufficient and forget my reliance on God. I’m praying for you as you travel to and in Haiti. God bless you for being willing to follow His call – even without all the set plans and details that would make it more comfortable for you. I pray that this is a life changing experience as much for you and your team as it is for those you are ministering to.
Anne, I’m all for things going according to plan on this trip…just not necessarily going according to yours. :)
Praying that you won’t dwell in that valley, and also praying for you to be still to listen to His whispers if you start going the slightest bit downhill.
Josh?s last blog ..Cartoons & Church
i woke up this morning thinking of Jesus’ simple, yet so not easy, command to “trust in God; trust also in Me.” and how often and deeply i fail at doing just that…
alece?s last blog ..current events, served grit-style
I am like you Anne, a big planner. I love to make list and check stuff off the list. That would be really hard for me not to be freaking out right now. Mainly because I am more worried about my comfort then the mission.
Great thought to start the week.
Follow me Jesus says, with no strings attached or promises, just follow me.
I have been avidly following the Livesay missionary family. Their site has a dozen links to other missionaries on the ground before & since the earthquake. Although a few left in the first days, this week several have left after 3+ weeks for a much needed break. Their blogs discuss some pretty tough medical things, but also how much work there is to be done. It seems like a new wave of volunteers are needed now. (sounds like Gods timing in your trip is perfect… duh). You can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you. Looking forward to your eyes & ears report from there.
http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/ a hub in PaP.
Thanks Anne. This post reminds me a bit of Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship. Jesus bids us to come and die. This does make for some scary following. Like you, my wife and I are wading through some of that right now also. The resolve, I believe, remains for us because who else has the words of life? Who else would we dare to follow?
Let’s press on in faith and at times in fear. It is always encouraging to me that Jesus commissioned the remaining 11 disciples (Mt 28:18-20) right after their doubts (Mt. 28:17).
almost an M?s last blog ..Really?
Totally identified with this. I’m a planner, and I’m in the midst of a move again, and this time I’m trying to do it with limited mobility in my left shoulder while also car shopping since I was in an accident that totalled my car a couple weeks back. Great stuff, since I’m totally a person who wrestles with fear of change and new things.
Thanks for sharing today. Will definitely be praying as you go to Haiti… it’s been so heavily on my heart.
Lisa?s last blog ..Rough Night, Start Again
“You can?t plan providential, healing moments. You can only show up and allow God to work through you in that very moment.” WOW! I love that statement! I am going to have to reflect on it some more. Thanks for sharing!
Kevin M.?s last blog ..Sermon Synopsis 2/7 – A disciple loves every other disciple
“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.”
Thank you, I really needed to hear this message right now. My prayers are with you and your team as you minister in Haiti.
Kristine McGuire?s last blog ..The Paradox of Power
thanks for this post. im going through a crazy time right now and it’s good to be reminded that im here to just follow Him =]
All these Bible promises that I had to learn since I became a Christ Follower are going through my mind; I surrender my memory to Him at the beginning and let Him lead. I mess up, but you sending this blog, Anne, reminds me to get my prayer journal out to stay deligent for you. I just know you are going to be a tremendous blessing to any one you come in contact with in Haiti; you’re so brave in just being a team member for the great cause! You can do it! I proudly say that!
Carol?s last blog ..See Beyond Obstacles!
Wonderful post Anne. I like knowing what to expect so I can be prepared. Today I began the day facing one of my fears for which I had not “planned” to face today and all I can think of is “God you must carry me through” and somehow he’s been doing it. He does indeed “walk before us, and with us, and lays out each of our steps”.
marianne0?s last blog ..Party Time?
Great thoughts about discipleship! Thank’s for the relationship between these two kind of fear. In times of twitter the articles like these make the “follow me button” much more important. ;-)
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
You are becoming one of the most inspiring and important writers in my life right now. Thank you for this post.
Amy?s last blog ..Amazing God, You Can Bear the Weight of Every Heavy Heart
Wow. Thank you Amy. Your words mean so much to me right now!!!!
“Because I know that in The Valley of the Comfortable, the voice saying ?follow me?? cannot be heard.”
This entire post makes my stomach hurt and I want to shut my office door, sit under my desk and cry..because taking that 1st step of surrender is so freakin’ scary…. BUT so freakin’ worth it!
This week, so far, My butt has been kicked by Anne, Andrew Murray, and Matt Chandler…. Anyone else? Step on up. :-)
Reese?s last blog ..Dear ME: Get thee behind me
Hello Anne, thank you for this post! I had tears in my eyes and I felt God speaking to me as I read. I am right in the middle of a big (good) change in my life and there are a lot of things to work out and it will be a completely new experience for me. And even though I know the situation I am in is completely God’s doing as I could never have arranged it so well myself, fear still tries to creep into my heart now and then. So it was just another confirmation to me. Thank you for being open to write what God lays on your heart! Sarah
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