WALK
On our way home from church my four year old son taught me a profound lesson he learned from his Sunday school class. The conversation between my husband and son went a little like this...
Andrew: Hey buddy, what did you learn in church today?
Desmond: I learned about how Jesus said, "Come follow me."
Andrew: Yeah, so what does that mean?
Desmond: I don't really know. They just told me to say that.
Andrew: But what does it mean to follow someone?
Desmond: It just means that you walk.
My husband went on to explain how when you follow someone, you can literally follow them where they go but you can also follow them in a way that you do what they do. I liked my husband's answer, but honestly I liked Desmond's answer best. To follow someone, means to walk!
Claiming to be a Christian essentially means one follows Christ. Breaking down the definition of "following" according to a child, sure makes our job of following Christ much simpler than everyone else makes it out to be. What does it mean to follow Jesus? WALK!
I know personally I spend so much time being paranoid about doing Christianity right. I get caught up in obeying the right rules so nobody can point a finger at me calling me a hypocrite. When people ask me questions about my faith, often I tend to panic thinking I have to give them all the right answers or they will hate God. Often, my Christian identity is wrapped up in rules and theological knowledge. No wonder so many people want nothing to do with Christianity. Thankfully, God sent me a four year old to remind me not to over complicate my faith and to simply just WALK.
To be a Christian, means to follow Christ, and to follow Christ means to walk. Where did Jesus walk? He walked toward the lonely, the lost, the broken. He walked to mountain tops and gardens to be alone with God. He walked toward crowds, government officials, prostitutes, the poor, the rich, and towns full of horrible sinners. Jesus walked, inviting others to walk alongside with him. The point is, Jesus moved! Jesus didn't sit around for too long discussing how things should be done. He took initiative to meet others where they were at, teaching lessons to his followers by moving! Thanks to my son, I am reminded that the core of my faith begins with moving in a direction toward love. Following Jesus, means walking to the places and parts of peoples lives who need God the most. It means inviting others to join us on our journey to be physically and emotionally present to those who need to experience God's love in the flesh.
Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!" - John 5:8
Andrew: Hey buddy, what did you learn in church today?
Desmond: I learned about how Jesus said, "Come follow me."
Andrew: Yeah, so what does that mean?
Desmond: I don't really know. They just told me to say that.
Andrew: But what does it mean to follow someone?
Desmond: It just means that you walk.
My husband went on to explain how when you follow someone, you can literally follow them where they go but you can also follow them in a way that you do what they do. I liked my husband's answer, but honestly I liked Desmond's answer best. To follow someone, means to walk!
Claiming to be a Christian essentially means one follows Christ. Breaking down the definition of "following" according to a child, sure makes our job of following Christ much simpler than everyone else makes it out to be. What does it mean to follow Jesus? WALK!
I know personally I spend so much time being paranoid about doing Christianity right. I get caught up in obeying the right rules so nobody can point a finger at me calling me a hypocrite. When people ask me questions about my faith, often I tend to panic thinking I have to give them all the right answers or they will hate God. Often, my Christian identity is wrapped up in rules and theological knowledge. No wonder so many people want nothing to do with Christianity. Thankfully, God sent me a four year old to remind me not to over complicate my faith and to simply just WALK.
Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!" - John 5:8
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