The Hardest Decision I Ever Made Was to Follow Jesus

/ gettingthroughwithgrace

I look at the title of this, and I cringe.  Following Jesus should be fun, and easy.  You would think everything in your life would get better, your bank account would be overflowing, and all your problems would go away.  That didn’t happen when I made my decision to follow Him.  

Matt 16:24 ESV Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

What does this mean? For me it means when I want to give up I remember the scripture  Philippians 4:13  NKJV “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  When I look at my bank account that says I have .67 cents in it, I trust His word  that says Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

When I get sad and depressed and I don’t want to get out of bed, and I think about my husband sleeping in his new bed, in his new apartment, I give the situation to God, and try not to do what I would have done in the past which is try to get back at him, or make him jealous.  I remember when I told God that He could have my marriage, and everything I had was His. Even when my heart hurts so bad and I cry until I have a hard time breathing, and my eyes are puffy I recall Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.”

God has a plan and a hope and a future for me, and you too. 

Following Jesus means that I get to witness his goodness in situations.  Everyday, I see His hand in my life, and the lives of others around me.  I see His goodness when I only had a few dollars in my bank account, and the person at Chick-fil-A  told me she paid for my food.  I see His beauty in every sunrise, and sunset when I marvel at the beautiful golds and reds, and different shades of pink.  I see His goodness when I get to pray for someone, and they have hope in their eyes, and look so much more hopeful than when I first saw them.

Every single day I have to make decisions in the little things like holding my tongue when I really want to tell someone what I REALLY think,  when my alarm goes off in the morning and I have to decide, am I going to sleep in, or am I going to spend some quiet time before the kids wake up and read God’s word?

Following Jesus doesn’t mean everything in my life got easier, and I don’t struggle.  But following Jesus gives me a hope that I didn’t have before. It means that His Mercies are new every morning, and forgiveness is always available for me.  Following Jesus means that everyday is a surprise, and I get to see His hand in my life, and the lives of those around me, His Goodness, Grace, and Love, and that is why I wake up everyday hopeful and press on, and why I made the decision to follow Jesus. 

10 thoughts on “The Hardest Decision I Ever Made Was to Follow Jesus”

  3. If you are truly following Jesus, He will live a life of vulnerability. This is so completely goes against my nature. I have spent a life of trying to build a wall of protection so relying on God was a new concept for me. Yet, God is constantly reminding me that I need to trust Him with all of my mess. He’s calling me to take risks and life the abundant life Jesus died to give me. There is nothing comfortable about trust or risks. I won’t lie, it’s hard.

    I am learning that following Jesus is going to lead you to become radical. It’s going to open your eyes that life is not about you, It’s about Him. I’ve learned as a Kingdom Citizen my life is going to look different than the way people expect. From finances, to church attendance and involvement–a life following Jesus will always stand out. With that comes attacks.

    When we follow God’s plan for our lives, we have to walk in faith even when it doesn’t make sense. This one is really hard, at least for me: we have to embrace God’s sovereignty. The hard truth is while God can make things happen for us sometimes He doesn’t. Tragedy and loss will happen in your life in some point and you have to remember that the scriptures says, He’s perfect in all of His ways. I want to be like Job when “He said, though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”.

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  4. Monica, God bless you, I read almost all the other blogs, the ones from long ago, I couldn’t stop reading, they are full of life and God!

    Thank you for opening my eyes to the true application of God’s word in our daily situations, and relying on the truth of His word to go through the issues of life as overcomes.

    I love you sis

    God bless

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