From the Pastor's Heart: February

"I, however, FOLLOWED the Lord my God wholeheartedly." ----- Joshua 14:8

"May I follow you? I don't know where I am going." Two sentences that many, if not all of us. have said at one time or another. We are in our cars driving to a destination of which we do not know the way. And so we put our dependence upon someone who knows the way in order to arrive at our desired destination. We become followers!

If you think about it, we have been "followers" all our lives. As a baby, we are encouraged to follow the examples that are mimicked in front of us time and time again; from waving to blowing a kiss to how to eat our vegetables, we are taught to "follow". As small children we are quickly introduced to a game of "Follow The Leader" in which we follow another child to wherever his or her whims want to take us. As teenagers and young adults. society teaches us to "follow" our peers in order to fit in and not become an outcast.

And to a great extent, before we reach adulthood, we "follow" the example of our parents. What they value often becomes what we learn to value. If God, church, and a Christ-like life are of value to our parents and demonstrated through their actions, then we "follow" their lead and value those same things. (Not always the case, but often it is.) If the things of the world are of value to our parents, then we "follow" their lead and "follow" the world.

Even in the age of GPS (means Go Perfectly Straight, right?), we are "followers". We "follow" that voice coming out of that little square box. And we are so obsessed with "following" that voice that we will even do what it says when we know there is a better route to take.

Let's face it folks, we are "followers". And it seems that we slip so easily into the role of being a "follower" when it comes to the things of this world, but when it comes to Christ, things are different. Jesus gave His disciples, you, and I a very simple two word command, "FOLLOW ME". The only problem is that when we "follow" Jesus, He leas us to CALVARY, to a CROSS, to SACRIFICE, to abandon ALL, to a DEATH. But isn't that what Joshua meant when he said, "I, however, FOLLOWED the Lord my God WHOLEHEARTEDLY."

On this Christian journey we are undertaking, we often lose sight of our destination. May we be determined to "follow" our Lord's GPS (God's Perfect Son) no matter what the cost. And when our journey comes to an end, may we be able to say with Joshua, "I however, FOLLOWED the Lord my God wholeheartedly."