God Made Me to Follow Him

by Devin Dummel

Recently my boys have discovered Disney’s animated classic Peter Pan.  After their first viewing, they have now watched the movie every day this week.  I also have the pleasure of having a cd which is playing on loop in our van while we run errands retelling the heroic tales of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.

In a short amount of time my boys have heard the story and the song enough times that they have already memorized most of it.  In their abundance of innocence they have even chosen costumes for our whole life group based off of Peter Pan’s story.  (I just hope I don’t have to be Tiger-Lilly)  But perhaps the cutest part of their reaction to Peter Pan has been their marching single-file and singing in unison …

“I’m following the leader, the leader, the leader.  I’m following the leader wherever he may go.”

It just doesn’t get much better than that.

Jesus had his own band of Lost Boys, we refer to them as the disciples, but they too were trying desperately to follow their leader.  They came from different walks of life, and they each had their own baggage to deal with but one thing they all had in common. 

Jesus invited them to follow Him.

He said to them:  “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)

Jesus called the disciple to let go of the cares of this world and follow wherever He would lead.  This task was easier said than done.  Notice, Jesus told them they would have to take up their cross – meaning that they would ultimately have to be willing to lay down their life.  They would have to be willing to sacrifice everything in order to follow Him.

But the truth is – that’s where adventure with God begins.  God hasn’t called us to live a boring, play it safe, hum-drum kind of life.  He hasn’t called us to wait things out until He returns.

He has instead asked us to partner with Him and to follow where He will lead.  Following Him will have its up and downs, even David – a man after God’s own heart – described walking through a valley shrouded in death, but when you follow with all your heart, God will take you to places that are so exciting and will take you so high that you will never land.

All of us are following someone.  The question you must ask is, “Are you following the leader, wherever He may go?”

Because when you are … it doesn’t get much better than that.