As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4 18-20)
“Come follow me, Anita?”
Yes, I will follow you, because life feels pointless without you.
I will follow you because the world without you—it doesn’t hack it: much labour for things which will not satisfy–without you
I will follow you because I am weary of myself. I want to lose myself in you. In that loss, I feel safe.
I will follow you because I don’t know how to do life. But your version of a God-bathed world, held safe in your Father’s hands, which the meek will inherit, I love it! I believe in it.
I will follow you because in worshipping you is my soul complete.
I will follow you because in you I find love, vast as the ocean.
I will follow you because of your goodness that flows like a waterfall towards me. I need but to kneel and receive.
I will follow you because (sorry, this is silly!) nothing makes me as hyper as your words, and the bubbly Holy Spirit you released through your death. In them is rest for my restlessness.
I will follow you because you promise complete joy. You are the narrow gate which leads to life. I will shrug off all that impedes me so I can enter through it.
* * *
I will follow you because no one ever spoke as you did.
I will follow you, because you are so clever. I love the way you got out of all those tricks and traps—taxes to Caesar and stoning that woman and dividing inheritances–with your cool, collected intellect. You instinctively think outside the box, you clever person. And if I follow you, you will teach me wisdom and to stay cool and calm under pressure. (And forgive, now, this selfish motivation).
Yes, I will follow you because you are brilliant. I love thinking about those wild things you said. “Take the lower place; turn the other cheek; the meek inherit the earth; don’t resist an evil person; give and you shall receive.” I love how obeying them, even in baby steps, turns my life upside down.
I will follow you because I know I will never “get” you fully. You will come to me with fresh challenges as long as I live, drawing me upward and onward. I’ll wrestle with your words till I die. Those Beatitudes! The Sermon on the Mount! A whole life’s worth of meditation and challenge.
I will follow you because you are the Word, and I am a writer. And so you will give me the words I need to speak, and protect me from words I do not need to speak.
I will follow you because He who drinks of the waters you give him will never thirst, but rivers of living water will flow from him. What writer would not want rivers of living water to flow from her?
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I will follow you because you are spectacular. The way you cared for everyone you encountered as you gasped your way through the excruciating crucifixion—Wow, Jesus!
I will follow you because learning to love is important, and you know how, and you will teach me.
I will follow you because you are magnetic. You are good, and you are kind. Nothing else in my world compels me as you do.
I will follow you because you are the Living Bread which came down from heaven. If I eat you, I will not hunger, and so in you is the solution to my food issues and addictions.
I will follow you because, well, what else could I follow? Ambition will exhaust me. Mastery of a craft will not satisfy my heart. Money? I earn enough for my simple-ish tastes.
I will follow you, because as C. S. Lewis said, what you say is so outrageous, it’s either completely nuts. Or true. And to me, it tastes of truth. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
I will follow you, just because…I love you.
What a wonderful declaration of faith and trust in our Heavenly Father. He has given us the indescribable gift in Jesus. He is able to do all things for us as we ask in faith and give Him honor and the glory in all that we do and say. He is all we need, and upholds us in every circumstance of life. Your words of love and dedication to Jesus, thrill and give me an increased desire to follow Him in every aspect of my life.
And thank you for your beautiful, inspiring words, Kathy!
Anita this is simply beautiful. And how much Jesus loves us.. Completely putting us in a bubble – the Holy Spirit Bubble. Makes me feel I got to be more grateful. And I don’t want to get away from that bubble.
And yes does have a sense of humor . I wonder if he is smiling when I say this.
A thought that crosses my mind especially when I sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament and gaze at him… I call it getting the “Jesus Tan” like the sun tan
Uplifting.. Just the words – I will follow him.
Keep the words coming on these blogs
Thanks, Lily.
The Cure D’Ars had this description of prayer, “I look at him, and he looks at me!”
There are many good ways to spend time as a Christian – reading and studying the Bible, praying, fellowshipping with others, doing service, for starters. Then I am stopped in my tracks by the love response of a child, or someone with a child’s heart, who offers a gift of love which has nothing to do with cleverness or intellect or experience or skill, just the outpouring of the heart. How the Saviour must love this!
The apostle Peter confessed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You only have the words of eternal life”. How precious is the implied invitation to do the same. I can and will do so, with my own words as an act of worship, in spirit and in truth, my heart focused on Him rather than my eyes focused on me.
“I can and will do so, with my own words as an act of worship, in spirit and in truth, my heart focused on Him rather than my eyes focused on me.”
That’s lovely, Andrew. Amen!