Can I give up…?
Matthew 8:18-22
The Jerusalem Bible, entitles this text: ‘Hardships of the apostolic calling.’ Straight and simple? ‘Hardships’! Can I bear them? Like the two men, I want to follow Jesus. His teachings appeal to me but “no place to rest his head.”? “let the dead bury the dead”? Can I give up my comfortable bed and soft pillows? Forgo my inheritance to follow him? I remember his words, “ Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
This is a 24/7 job. Life may be uncomfortable. I would have to give up worldly comforts. I question myself: ”What is the extent of my commitment to following Jesus?” The romanticism of the life may be appealing at first but I must be ready to follow him in spirit and in truth. Even Jesus moved away when the crowd was too great. But he did not stay away He went right into the storm. So I must too.