“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” – C.S. Lewis
“Follow me.”
When I truly first began to study the life of Jesus as an awkward, lanky, 16 year-old teen, those two words were what captivated me. They were welcoming. They were concise. They were simple. And the one who spoke them–well, he was nothing but kind, gracious and understanding.
Yet the claims he made… they were radical. They were unique. They were exclusive. This man was clearly something else. He claimed to have divinity: the power to forgive sins. He claimed to have life: a well that never ran dry. He claimed to be God’s own Son, sent to heal the sick and set the captives free.
“Follow me.”
If what he claimed was true, then I knew that those two words now carried more weight than I first realized. In reality, those words were the epitome of his life and ministry. To follow him would mean to go wherever he went, for he is the Way. To heed his call would mean to sacrifice what I thought right, for he is the Truth. To accept his invitation would mean to realize I was dead in my sins and needed him, for he is the Life.
For the first time in my life I realized the beauty of the Gospel: the call came first. It always had. Jesus never asked me to have it all together before I answered him; he just asked. He didn’t require me to have everything on the checklist “checked” before I RSVP’d his invitation; he just invited. He chased me down, lived among the brokenness of the world, sacrificed his life to take my sin–my sin–upon his perfect shoulders, and rose from the tomb to declare his power as the Son of God.
“Follow me.”
All I had to say was yes. And I can tell you, saying “yes” to those two words has been the best decision I have ever made. The journey has been surreal. It has been difficult at times: tiring, confusing, painful, full of battles, hardships and trials that never seem to end. Yet it has been completely worth it. The joy I have experienced, the hope I hold on to, the peace I claim, the love that stirs my soul–the beauty of knowing God through the fullness and glory of Christ–these things make it worth it. Looking back, it isn’t hard to see: I would say “yes” to those two words time and time again.
What about you?