Follow Me
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit an aquarium. There were lots of amazing creatures to see. One exhibit was a large circular tank that was above my head. In this tank were hundreds of sardines swimming together in a circle. I watched in awe as their silver scales flashed — following each other in a group as they swam around and around. As I stood there mesmerized, I noticed that there was one single fish near the bottom of the tank that was swimming in the opposite direction.
This lone fish going against the group made me think about what following Jesus can sometimes feel like. The whole world is spinning around you with everyone busy trying to have or do or be the next best thing. If I were to follow what social media and advertisements told me to do and buy I would be caught in an endless loop, swimming in a circle after the world’s desires.
Jesus teaches us about a different kind of life. We are called to follow Him. This means turning the other way, swimming the opposite direction, and trusting in our Savior who knows what we truly need.
In Matthew 4:18-22 it says, “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.”
They left at once and followed Him. They left their boat, their supplies, and even their father behind to follow Jesus. This doesn’t mean they never worked again, but they knew in this moment, when Jesus called out to them, that they needed to follow Him right then.
Jesus is still calling to us now. Are you caught up in the ways of the world, believing that you need to achieve accomplishments the way our culture would like us to believe? Are you stuck in an endless loop of working, buying, doing, and following this group of fish – filling up your days with busyness and swimming in a circle?
Jesus has a better way to live. He offers a life filled with love – in good times and bad. He offers strength, support, and true purpose. Be like the one fish, turn against the group and swim the other way. Read Jesus’ words again, hold them in your heart, and then do just as He calls us to do, “Come, follow me”.