Things We Leave Behind

Discipleship is marked to some measure by things we leave behind.  This was clearly true of Jesus' first disciples who left their nets as they responded to his call, "Follow me."  A few weeks ago, I engaged in an email correspondence with a good friend and brother on this very subject.  The topic has commanded my attention for the better part of the past ten years. I believe, though, that I am just now beginning to be able to articulate what is meant by following Jesus.

Here is a portion of what I wrote:  "I have found that the actions that bear witness to true faith and hope are most often actions of the believer giving up, in very practical ways, his life ambitions, possessions, aspirations and desires, and then going where Christ both calls and leads him. So, the more pressing questions of personal examination for me, for you, for any follower of Christ who desires to follow Him in more authentic ways in the here and now, are: What have I given up? Where have I gone? What am I willing to give up? Where am I willing to go?"

"When a person genuinely examines himself/herself with such questions, I would venture to say that for the larger part of the professing church, the answers to what have I given up is very little or nothing, and to where have I gone is for the most part no where. I am thankful that I see in many young people, who today are challenged by the reality of authentic faith and hope, a true willingness and obedience to give up and to go. For in a very real sense, if the answer to the questions of willingness are not "everything" and "anywhere" then we have not truly appreciated what Christ has done for us nor have we begun to enter into what He will do through us."

After being here at Handong, though, for the past three months (today marks my 90th day away), I cannot say that I am following Jesus any closer because the authenticity of following is not measured by distance from the things, places or even the people we've left behind.  Rather, I believe it can only be evaluated in terms of the nearness of my heart's desire to the person of Christ and the measure to which my volition is filled by the will of God.  That desire will often move us to leave things behind, to depart from places of security and to separate, for a time, from even the people that we love more than any other people on earth.

Is this then where we truly find freedom?  The kind of freedom Jesus was talking about when he said, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed"?  I think it is very much what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians Christians about when he said, "You have been called unto freedom, but do not use your freedom as an occasion for the flesh (i.e. "self-advancement" or "self-gratification"), but by love serve one another.  Service of others in the love of Christ will often -- may I say always -- lead us to leave things of our own behind.  But it may also call us to depart the familiar places and to separate from people dearly loved.

The problem is, leaving behind, departing and separating are not easy things to do.  They don't inspire confidence in our decisions nor a greater sense of commitment to even the noblest cause that may have motivated our actions.  Instead, we are often submerged into doubt, but these are the times when we look back not just at what has brought to the place we now find ourselves to be, but also to the paths that others have chosen in their desire to know and do the will of God.  In the testimonies of others who have trod upon such pilgrim paths, we find hope and a renewing of our faith in the one whom we follow. 

We do not walk our journey alone.  To follow means we are always walking after another -- the one who has promised to never leave or forsake us.  So may I, may you find freedom in the things we leave behind.




Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”  ~ John 21:18-19