As I woke up slowly this beautiful Saturday morning, and laid in my warm bed with my head on my soft pillow, I began to wonder why God has placed me where he has in life. Simply put, I am blessed beyond measure to live the life I live. I have everything that I need and many things that I simply want. I live in a world that affords me the opportunity to ask questions such as, “what do I want to do today?” and even larger, “what do I want to do with my life?” I have endless opportunities in front of me and the blessing to explore my dreams and ambitions. Dreams and ambitions to live my best life and make a difference, no matter how small, in this world.
Who doesn’t want to make a difference in the world? Maybe you want to be an amazing mother and raise children that change the world or you want to be the best spouse and make life better for the person you love more than anyone else? Or perhaps, you want to be the best at your career and change the lives of those you work with and/or serve and maybe change the financial course of your family. I dare to presume that most of you reading this dream to live your “best life” and of something that would make the world a better place to live.
Through experience, I have found that I live my “best life” when I follow three simple worlds, “Come, follow me.” Jesus tells us over and over in scripture to follow him. To be honest, I am still learning what this means and assume I will continue to learn throughout the rest of my life. While I sometimes do my best to answer this calling and follow Jesus, there are many times where I fall woefully short and am seduced by the things of this world. Things in life that have “seduced me” are often things that are not inherently “bad.” I become focused on things such as having a clean and organized house, being successful at my career, or exercising and healthy living. Now, I’m not saying these things are bad, but they can become “bad” if they distract us from what God is calling us to do and lead us off of the path of following our Savior. They become “bad” when they become our first love before God.
As I grow in understanding, I am beginning to realize that it’s not just what we say in our heads, but how we live out our lives that truly show what we consider as our first love in life. We can easily say, “Yes, God is first in my life,” but do our actions reflect that? Maybe this was common sense all along and I was just too blind to see it? I have begun to ask my self questions such as, am I so busy following my hopes and dreams of this world that I don’t make time to get to know God better so that I know what following him truly means? Am I so distracted by what I want in life that I don’t make time to serve those around me as Christ would? Am I too busy comparing myself to those around me that I forget that it is Christ that I should strive to be like and not others in the world? And finally, am I so busy listening to what the world is saying that I neglect to take quiet time and listen to what God is saying to my heart?
So, this beautiful Saturday morning, I want to urge you to slow down. Take time to consider what is first in your life. If it is not Christ, decide today that you TRULY want to follow Jesus, but not just in thought or concept. To truly live your life as He lived, so that others can encounter Him today through your actions.
Today, answer the calling, “Come, follow me” and live a life you never imagined possible.