I walked next to Brett holding his hand. I took short steps walking a little jerkily, sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left and other times coming to a short momentary stop before continuing my journey. I was once again trying my best to avoid stepping on Aspen’s feet. When Aspen walks with us she insists on walking directly in front of me causing me to disrupt my usual walking gait and begin to jerkily walk in ways to avoid stepping on her feet. Occasionally Brett reaches forward to hurry her along or I tell her she needs to hurry up, but eventually she is right back where she started and I go back to my awkward little dance.
The last time I did my best to avoid stepping on Aspen as we crossed a parking lot it dawned on me that this is exactly how Jesus wants me to follow Him….so close I’m stepping on His heels. Just like following Aspen isn’t easy, neither is following Jesus. Sometimes following Him can be downright annoying when the direction He is going is the exact opposite direction from where we want to go.
People stand in line for hours to buy the newest iPhone. They dress up in the costumes of their favorite characters and camp out overnight to see the first showing of a movie with their favorite characters. People sit at the slot machines for days at a time. These are just a few examples of people pursueing their gods so closely they trip over them. But what does it look like to pursue God with the same intensity?
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. When we shrink our world down to just us and God it doesn’t matter what the circummstances are around us. Our world has deserts, streams, mountains, valleys, hills, plains, lakes, oceans, sunshine, rain, hurricanes, tornados, and warm breezes. When we walk through life we will eventually experience all of these along the way. But when we follow on the feet of Jesus none of these changes need affect the inner peace abiding with God creates.
Peter walked on water when he ignored the impossibility of doing it and focused on Jesus. It was only when he took his eyes off Jesus that he started to sink. The sun rises and the sun sets at it’s apointed time. We can’t control it, just like we can’t control everything and everyone around us. When we shrink our world down to focusing on the feet of Jesus we will walk on water just like Peter, ignoring the storm around us. “Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:7
