Following
Being a visionary type is a real pain sometimes. You get a few peeks into the adventure ahead of you and you’re hooked…you took the bait and are running with it. The heart gets pumped (no pun intended), you feel energized, alive and ready to tackle anything.
That’s when IT happens…
You take the first step and reality (shortcomings, weaknesses, failures, etc.) takes a huge bite out of your zeal and spits in back in your face…laughing.
Major ouch…no what?
For me it requires some soul searching. I look closely at the calls on my life; husband, father, brother and son. All filled with passion, all richly rewarding and all consuming. My pondering has led me to an interesting thought.
I have a following that flows from my following.
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19
As I follow after the Messiah my attractiveness increases and the pull of the Father’s love finds an outlet to touch others.
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1
The draw of my story depends on being about my Father’s business and sharing the marvelous tale of my rescue. The telling of this epic is spoken through all the calls of my life, each one a chapter of how redemption shapes a man. The visionary saw a lot of my story unfolding, the practical man had to walk it out, sometimes kicking reality in the teeth along the way.
On January 6, 2013, I will be taking another one of those practical steps that the visionary guy saw many years ago. It is a leap of faith mixed with a heart’s desire that I once believe passed me by, a dream thought defeated by my “reality”.
Believe it or not, yours truly is becoming a pastor…
I will follow my King down another path and become an associate pastor at my church. The overlap of calling flows into another channel and the heart of the visionary awakens. The stirring of my soul hopefully impacting lives as I’m impacted by the character refinement of the Father’s hand. This quote echoes my heart.
“You are to follow no man further than he follows Christ.” John Collins
The story continues…watch out reality…I’m coming for you!
Comments
Great thoughts! I'm so glad everything flows from Him and my following Him. Remembering that takes the pressure off! Also, so excited for you and this new adventure. I know God is doing great things! Blessings Jay.