Come follow me.

As I finish up my third year of college, (which I can’t believe has gone by so fast!), it seems as though God continues to take me through different themes in my life. Freshman year was all about what it really means and looks like to truly follow the Lord with my whole life. Sophomore year I walked through a lot of grace as I learned the need for and joy of confession, and what it meant to be fully redeemed in Christ. This year has been a theme of getting to know God’s character on such an intimate level and understanding the cost of following Him.

Earlier this year as I was reading through Luke 9, the Lord led me to a passage that spoke directly to my heart. Luke 9:57-62 is a story about three men who say they will follow Jesus wherever He goes, but confess that they have other priorities before they go. Jesus says to them, “Come follow me” and they respond, “Yes Lord, but first let me find shelter, first let me get my inheritance, first let me see my family.” And when Jesus responds, He makes it clear that nothing comes before following Him. I have such a deep desire to follow the Lord with my whole life, but I realized in this moment that I had a lot of “but firsts” as well. “Lord, I will follow you and do anything you call me to do,” I said. And I thought I really meant it. But when He called me to a year of missions, my response was “Yes Lord, but first let me graduate, first let me get married, first let me settle down and get a stable job, first let me plan my future and then I will work around Your will for me.” I realized my desire to follow God was there, but my willingness revolved around my plans and not His. It was in that moment, that I realized that God was calling me now...and I therefore need to be obedient, now. It brought me to Isaiah 6 as I realized how marvelous God’s character truly was and how absolutely worthy He was of my whole life, no matter what the cost. My only response was to fall to my knees and worship, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory! I will lay down my life for You, O God. Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:3,8).

As I prayed to the Lord about where He wanted to use me next year, His answer came immediately and with such clarity. "Africa, Africa, Africa.." I just heard the nation repeating in my heart. I knew in that moment, I was to be sent. As Jim Elliot once wrote, "I am as sure of His direction as I am of His salvation."