Who Are You Following? 

If someone looked at your life today, would they be able to tell who you are following? Are you following anyone, or do you just go your own way? 

A dear friend of mine was conveying a story to me the other evening and she made a comment that resonated in my spirit. The point of the comment was this. So many of us are always on the go. We are running to and fro all day long. Most of us are burnt-out, tired and stressed all of the time. The question for those of us who have a relationship with Jesus is this; with all the places we are running-off to and all the things we “have” to do, is He the one who is sending us?  If not, then why are we running ourselves ragged?  Who are we really following? 

When we read the gospels it is clear that Jesus asked each of his disciples and the rich young ruler to follow Him. What He meant by that was for the individuals to actually leave everything else behind and surrender to a life He would lead them to. None of them knew what they were getting into. Yet, the disciples each chose to follow Him. The rich young ruler however, felt it was too much of a sacrifice. He  decided to leave Jesus' loving offer on the table and went away disheartened.  

There is a lot in that one little story which we can focus on but I want to highlight the most important thing. We always have a choice about who we will follow. One thing is certain though, we will all follow someone (or something).  The question is who?

Jesus wants to be the architect of each of our lives. He has every intention of using all of our favourite things in the design detail. He knows us well enough to know what will bring us the most fulfillment but He wants us to trust Him and give Him creative license. 

When we decide to go our own way and follow our own path, we are still following after something, it just may not include His best for us. Then we wonder why we are so stressed, run-down, tired, unfulfilled and unhappy all the time … even though we think we are doing what we love to do.  Funny isn't it?

Jesus' design promises life abundant. Jesus' way offers joy unspeakable and full of glory. Jesus' run is one in which we will not grow weary.  So why do we pass up His offer and go our own way. As if we could be better at life than the only perfect human to ever live. 

Maybe some of us are not deliberately going out own way. Maybe we just don’t know what Jesus wants for our lives yet. We need to get to know Him better first, so we can figure it out. In that case, the best solution is to find someone to follow who already knows how to lead us directly to the man Himself.

Paul said, "follow me as I follow Christ." 1 Cor. 11:1 There are those who have become skilled at hearing God’s voice who can lead us right to Jesus until we can hear His voice for ourselves.

Don’t be discouraged, have you noticed that our entire society wears busy-ness as a badge of honour these days? We fill our schedules up with one obligation after another and can’t slow down enough to enjoy any of it. We can change that though. Let’s choose not to stay stuck running around on that never-ending hamster wheel. Each of our lives has a destiny assignment. So we have to stop being busy and start moving in purposeful alignment with His divine will. This is the only way to move the needle on the true fulfillment and satisfaction most of us lack.

I challenge you today to review the past 24 hours and ask yourself what someone would see if they followed you around. Would your path lead them to Jesus? If not, then who are you really following?

Does this post hit home with you? Please let me know.

Also, leave me a comment if your self-evaluation has left you with some adjustments to make.