Discipleship. It's a word that is used often in churches but isn't always explained as well as it should be. The account of the first disciples being called by Jesus to follow Him is mentioned in the New Testament Gospels. An important thing to point out is that Jesus said "follow me" and it says they "forsook all" and followed Him.
Let's stop and really think about that. As Christians, I think it's easy to become so familiar with the Bible that we overlook details sometimes and really miss the depth of what God was trying to teach us in the particular story. When Jesus asked his disciples to follow Him, they left everything behind. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, "I will make you fishers of men" rather than the type of fishers they had always been. I'm sure fishing was a very comfortable life for them, but it wasn't what Jesus had wanted for them at that particular time. He had a different plan for them, and the disciples didn't hesitate about it. Matthew 4:20 says that they "straightway left their nets and followed him."
Following Jesus is definitely a lot heftier task than what some may perceive it as. It is so easy to follow Jesus with a willing heart when everything is going your way and life is grand. It is easy to follow others when you have a community of other believers following with you. But what happens if you don't? It gets more difficult to say yes to what seems crazy to the world and our sinful flesh. It doesn't always make sense and can lead you to places that you never dreamed of yourself being in.
Jesus reveals the cost of being a disciple to a man in the gospel of Luke. He mentions that animals have their homes but "the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head." Another asks to go back home to which Jesus replies, "No man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."
That is some heavy stuff, but Jesus was serious about the phrase, "Follow me." He wanted someone who could love Him more than their own lives, plans and comfort. I know I have struggled with loving Jesus more than my own life, but that is simply because I am a selfish sinner.
As Christians today, we should take the role of a disciple a lot more serious than what we do. When we agree to follow Jesus in an intimate, personal relationship, we are submitting our will to His, and our life is no longer ours. When Jesus called the first disciples who were out fishing, their decision to "forsake all and follow" was giving Jesus full control of their stories. They were no longer holding the pen. Jesus was.
Based off of the fact that we no longer have control when we choose to follow Jesus, it shouldn't be a surprise when we end up in situations that we had never dreamed of being in. This might not have been according to your plan, but it doesn't matter what your plan was. You left your plan behind when Jesus called your name and said, "Follow me."
Overall, it really shouldn't be surprising when we're in situations that leave us confused or bewildered. It doesn't even have to be a bad situation. I think sometimes when our lives take a turn that we weren't expecting, we take a step back and think about how we got there or why it happened.
In reality, we were probably holding onto our plans a little too tightly if we're completely thrown off when something different happens. I've been guilty of this many times without even realizing it. Following Jesus requires a cost of us, and sometimes it might be hard to truly understand this on paper without actually living this truth.
I'd love to be able to say that I completely have this topic figured out and that I'm always completely on board with surrendering to God's will, but I would definitely be lying. I'm still trying to figure out the reality of this, as many others are I'm sure. However, I do believe that the cost is always worth it, even if it doesn't seem like it at the current time.
