I wasn’t eavesdropping. I promise.
They were close to me. The only way I could not hear was to put my fingers in my ears.
“I sure hope she finds Jesus,” one said.
“That’ll get her away from those awful things,” another responded.
Their hearts were in the right place, I was certain. I just wondered if they knew that this was upside down theology.
Let’s not tell hurting people that they have to find Jesus.
Jesus willingly came to open blinded eyes. He came to free the oppressed, heal the broken hearted, and share good news with those spiritually impoverished.
He repeatedly told the disciples (and us) that He searches for the one that is lost.
I think what these women were saying is beautiful in a sense. They want a friend to embrace the love of Jesus. They grieve over the choices she’s making that are messing up her life.
Let’s tell that friend, that daughter, that stranger that she doesn’t have to find Jesus because they may not know what that looks like.
Instead, let’s tell her that He’s seeking her.
He’s always sought to love her. All she has to do is turn around and walk into His love.
But let’s look at that second part of this conversation.
Why do we tell people that following Jesus is about leaving stuff?
When we do that, we wrap faith about leaving friends, stopping an addiction, getting rid of fear, leaving the guy who isn’t God’s best for you. . . and our beautiful faith becomes a fixer upper program.
Which can get messy, because leaving stuff is hard and it is a part of our journey, so if it’s a challenge or we aren’t leaving stuff as quickly as others, we might feel like a failure.
Faith isn’t walking away from things or people
It’s following Jesus
Let’s take Matthew, for example.
Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. Luke 5:27 (NLT)
Some might look at this story and say:
Matthew left a job.
Matthew left friends who were sinners and publicans.
Matthew left power, authority, and influence.
Nope.
Jesus said, “Follow me.”
That’s the invitation.
Matthew moved toward a new job of a leader in the early church.
Matthew moved his friends toward Jesus as he introduced them.
Matthew moved toward spiritual power and authority.
And that’s what changed Matthew.
It’s what transforms us.
Every invitation has a destination
{Tweet This}
Maybe you’ve been focused for a long time on what you’re trying to leave.
You’ve wrapped your faith in it, nice and tight. You constantly focus on what you want to leave, and you feel wrecked when it’s still there.
Jesus seeks you. He’s meets you right where you are.
He offers an invitation.
Come with me.
Where is that invitation leading you?
What is Jesus leading you toward?
Rather than leading you away from addiction, He’s leading you toward healing the root source of the pain that led you to numb it.
Rather than leading you away from apathy, He’s leading you toward the passion buried beneath.
Rather than leading you away from [ you fill in the blank ], He’s leading you toward [ fill in the blank ].
The more you walk with Him, the more He shows you a different path.
The more you know Him, the more assurance you receive in His power over your own.
So, take your eyes off what you want to leave and place the focus on Jesus.
Follow Him.
Walk with Him.
Where we go is not nearly as important as who we go with.
And the more we walk with Him, the more we discover the power of His invitation and that is where new life begins.
Suzie
I love this! Oftentimes we are guilty of pointing out sin in others or even ourselves when the key to being rid of it all is to focus on Jesus and let Him fill us with the things He desires. The natural progression is that the bad gets pushed out by the good, oftentimes with less struggle than we think. People who don’t know Jesus personally just need Him…more Jesus equals less junk. Thank you for this reminder today!
So wise, Kellie!
It’s so nice to think all I have to do is focus forward! Sounds so much easier than looking all around me. I can get distracted and discouraged if I consider everything. Deciding to just look and walk forward. Yes!
I love this, Shelly. I pray that it’s a new way of living — walking with Jesus daily, looking forward to all that you have to learn and embrace as you walk with Him. <3
Beautiful, Suzie! I’ve always heard- whatever we focus on, that’s where our affections will be. When we are constantly focused on what we have to leave behind, we are actually making it harder to leave! When we focus on Jesus and where He wants to take us, we are more able to embrace the changes. I love that you addressed this today. I think we’ve all been guilty of telling someone what they should be doing, rather than inviting them to what they could be doing. We follow Jesus because we “get to” (what a privilege!), not because we have to (obligation). Thank you for this reminder! 💗
very helpful thoughts. I know I have approached people in the wrong way. Now I see a better way that is much more encouraging! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Thank You Suzie, I needed this.We are in the process of moving and I loved the one last week about Decluttering. But as we move 40 miles away I think about leaving my family, Church, friends so this made me stop and think about it differently. I am going to look for where I am going and what God has for me.
This is very, very good. The motto of the first church I attended following my acceptance of Christ as my Savior: “The Bible as it is..For people as they are.” And we came with bag and baggage. Being loved by Christ through others in their mercy. God bless and thank you for this excellent article!
Yes yes yes that is definitely me, focused on the problem and wrecked when still there over and over but struggle with actually taking the step with following even though been a Christian for years. Then I almost immediately see your book Come with me! Gonna order it now. Thanks Susie and Jesus xx