Leaving the Nets Behind

Have you ever heard or read something that just sticks with you all day long, maybe for weeks, or even keeps coming back in your mind a few months down the road? For me, this started back this summer while I was working at church camp. The theme of our summer there was "In His Steps" and focused on learning to follow the example that Jesus set out for us. During one particular camp session, a good friend of mine who happened to be camp pastor that week spoke with the campers about the calling of the disciples. Mark 1:16-20 says:

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

That verse just stops me in my tracks. What beautiful and total FAITH. These men seem to be spending their day hard at work doing their job as fishermen when a man calls out to them to leave it behind and follow him. Did they stop to give a clueless stare? Did Simon and Andrew have a chat about it? Did James and John consult their father for advice? I would have loved to have been sitting there along the lake shore to see this scene play out. It says that "at once" Simon and Andrew obeyed. They dropped exactly what they were doing, the familiar, and faithfully followed our Savior.

It makes me wonder what I would have done had I been sitting by the sea casting my net into the water. Had Jesus walked by and asked me to leave it behind and simply follow Him, would I have done so without question? Knowing me, I think I would have asked a few questions, requested a few days to think it through, talk it out, and weigh the options. Oh, to only be more like those faithful men. They must have known that this invitation came from a man like no other, the most wonderful individual to set foot in our world. In their faith, they found the One worth leaving everything else behind for.

Thankfully this wasn't a one time deal for those select men. They may have had the opportunity to follow Him, fellowship with Him, and learn from Him in person, but we too have the opportunity to answer when He calls to our hearts, "Come, follow me." I'm so thankful that He is still inviting. I'm so thankful that He doesn't make it a one time invite and RSVP with no changes. He keeps knocking at hearts and waiting, inviting us to set out on the adventure of a lifetime with the Savior of the world. All we have to do is drop the nets and follow in faith.