57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62, NIV)
Soon after Jesus “set his face towards Jerusalem” to carry out his Father’s mission he found himself unwelcome in the next town along the way (Luke 9:53). Then he encountered several would-be disciples who were ready to follow him so long as the rest of their lives could remain unchanged until a more convenient time. Jesus tells them that to be his followers they must be ready to follow where he leads when he leads.
In our culture, we often equate opening doors of opportunity with God’s will. We figure that if God calls us to do something that God will open the doors necessary for us to pursue that purpose. This is true to an extent.
However, it is also true that whenever God calls you to something you will encounter opposition and obstacles. Following Christ means rearranging our entire lives into sacrifices of praise and service not just reordering our religious rituals.
You may already be encountering obstacles and opposition to what you planned to give up or take on during the season of Lent or to the calling God has placed on your life. Do not let the obstacles and opposition discourage you. They are opportunities to grow in your faith. Trust that the God who called you to it will see you through it.
Wil Cantrell 