The spring weather, here, in the Teton Valley this year, has been more like our summer weather in late June ~ beautiful and much warmer! Spring, usually, brings alot of rain, snow, wind and mud! It's been very helpful to me, being able to get outside, earlier than expected, to clean out the garage (which was flooded with 4 inches of water last May) and clean out and throw alot away. Of course, Chessie has loved being outside! I found three "doggie frisbees" while going through boxes in the garage and repacking them a few weeks ago. They are Chessie's new obsession!
For Chessie, the frisbee, quickly, won 1st place, over the tennis balls, she loved so much. She loves jumping for it and catching it in the air. She is so obsessed with it, though, she doesn't want to give it up! If I let her keep it, she chews it up and then there's no more frisbee to enjoy. So, we play with two, she retrieves one and will bring it back (only because she wants the one I've got more, than the one in her mouth) Lol. Chessie needs some obedience training, we're working on that! We're one frisbee down (chewed up) and trying to save the other two for some more fun!
Similar in attitude, a toddler will claim, "It's mine!"A toddler will pick up another child's bottle and refuse to give it up, even, after drinking out of it and finding that what's in it they don't like. Mom may run to get their bottle and try to trade bottles, but they can be resistant. They know what they know and they are not going to be fooled, even if mom knows their bottle has the desired apple juice, she knows her toddler really wants. Lol. "A bottle in the hand is worth two in the bush." (Lol. Oh no, that's a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!) I never get those sayings right! We resist change don't we? There's fear in change, insecurity! We'd rather hold on to what we have, even if we're dissatisfied with it, to avoid change and the risk that comes with it. The problem is to go with God requires change!
Aren't we like Chessie and the toddler sometimes with God? Our focus is on what we think we want and can cause us to miss out on something that God may want to give us that's better for us. But we're too afraid to let go of what we've got and what we think we know! Following God requires the letting go of what's behind and the faith, the trust to, blindly, follow His lead to wherever!
In chapter 5 of the book of Luke Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God. Jesus saw two boats at the water's edge left by fishermen who were washing their nets. Jesus got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the people from the boat.
When Jesus finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." (You see Simon did what Jesus asked, but with tongue in cheek. Simon knew what he knew; there were no fish, they'd already been there and done that! Besides, only a tourist would fish for fish in the deep waters! Jesus was asking the ridiculous, the embarrassing!) When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break! They had to signal for their partners in the other boat to come help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink!
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him.
You see Peter knew what he knew, (but Jesus knows all things) and he, also, had something better for Peter and his partners, James and John. Peter told Jesus, "We've fished all night, Lord, but because You say so, I'll let down the nets." He was in doubt, but he did obey and He saw the power of God! His response, shows what that kind of power does to the sinner, Peter cries out, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"How does Jesus respond? "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men."
To follow Jesus requires change! It requires believing the ridiculous! A willingness to move beyond what we think we know and out of our comfort zone. A willingness, to do what makes no common sense at all! Yes, even to risk looking stupid! To put down your nets when it makes no sense to, because Jesus says so. But I bet that didn't look as stupid as the fishermen's final response: verse 11 says, "So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him."Did you just read that and move on or did you question: They left two boats filled to the brim with water and fish! They walked away! To where? They didn't ask, they just followed Jesus! What would make them do such a thing?
As we grow from spiritual babies to mature in Christ we'll learn ~ we'll recognize our foolish pride in thinking we know it all. We will learn little by little that He knows all things and we'll learn how clueless we really are and follow Him without question! We will learn to welcome the change with expectant hope! We will drop our obsession to know, to be in control and to have it our way, when we realize what Jesus offers is always the better! Always! He is trustworthy! "Take up your cross and follow me!" To follow God requires trust, it requires faith and it requires change!
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