As a coach, I am constantly reminded of the fact that others are looking to me for answers. "How do I do a muscle up?" "What am I doing wrong when I snatch?" "How can I get stronger?" These are questions that I am asked almost every day, and they are questions that I must know how to answer. What has humbled me time and time again is the way my athletes respond to my directives- with complete faith. Despite my youth, they trust that the cues I give them will ultimately lead them to moving more efficiently and confidently. There are so many questions they could ask, and so many reasons why they could choose not to follow me. But by the grace of God they do, and often times are better for it.
What I have discovered is that at the root of it, both my and their desires are the same- joy. They believe that by following me, they will move better, thus bringing them more joy. I give them the cues that I do because I have faith they will help them move better- if I didn't, I wouldn't give them. Ultimately, we are both out for the same thing- not just better movement patterns, but joy.
As I reflect upon the gospel narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, I am continually stuck by how easily the disciples first followed Jesus.
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to be fishers of men." At once, they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."
-Matthew 4:18-22
What was it about this Jesus that made these men drop everything and follow him? Was it His demeanor? Was it the tone of His voice, or maybe the look in His eyes? Whatever it was, I believe their conscious decision to follow Him was rooted in the hope that it would bring them more joy. How else could they leave everything they knew and everyone they loved to follow a man they hardly knew? They must have believed that in following Jesus, their lives would be richer, fuller, and more joyful than if they were to stay behind. Christ surely knew this when He held out the invitation, for in the end He is after our joy.
The call to follow Christ is not always an easy one, but it is one that will bring us life. Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, put it best when he stated that "when Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." That death is a death to self, a denial of the flesh and the former ways of life, and in turn a regeneration of the soul that brings abundant joy. Remember, Christ is not after our begrudging submission, but rather He came to "give us life, and life to the full!" (John 10:10). It is in following Him that we find life most fulfilling, most satisfying, and most joyful.
"Follow You" off Ben Rector's newest album
Blessings
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