I will follow you

I will follow you. 

Talk about a major life change!   Elisha went from following a plow to following a prophet.   He was so certain that God was calling him to become a disciple of Elijah’s that he burned the wooden tools of his trade.   It must have been sobering to watch his livelihood go up in flames, but this stripping away allowed Elisha to take the next step in following the Lord.   His story tells us that sometimes moving forward requires sacrifice.   Sometimes we need to make a break with the old to enter a new season of fruitfulness.

Elisha probably didn’t focus on what he had left behind.   Instead, he likely looked ahead to God’s promise of a new beginning.   Although he didn’t know what his future held, he trusted that the Lord would provide for him.   It was a big sacrifice to trade plowing for preaching, but he was convinced that it didn’t matter what he was doing, as long as he was trying his best to follow God’s will.

Transitions in life can require us to undergo a similar “sacrifice of change.”   Often, embracing a new opportunity means leaving something behind: leaving home to get married, leaving one job for a promotion, leaving the world of “couplehood” to welcome your first child.   Even smaller changes, like changing our schedule or making a new friend, entail leaving behind some aspect of our “old life.”   Like Elisha, we can look ahead and trust that God will walk with us as we cross the threshold into that something new.   Because we know that God is with us, we can take that next step in faith.

Today, you will undoubtedly “leave something behind” and take up something new.  You may not even realize how often you are already doing it. Just the act of starting a new day gives you that opportunity!   When a “sacrifice of change” comes up, think of Elisha and his burning yoke. Imitate him and offer yourself to the Lord.   Remember that you are putting your life and your gifts at his service, just as Elisha did.   And every offering, large or small, brings a smile to his face.

word among us