26th July 2012 Luke 22.57-62

The Cost of Following Jesus
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”. Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”. He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”. Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”. Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”. Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

This passage was my main stumbling block when I was exploring whether I would follow a calling into a vocation in the Church of England. I knew I fell short of these standards and I knew my family came first. It was a mighty hard passage to deal with. But a brilliant vocations advisor and a spiritual guide both spoke to me about my calling as a mother and it helped me come through.

I still find these words hard but I know that I am called and God provides a way. If you are worrying about these words and are exploring a vocation then I advise you to speak to someone who knows. I pray you find a way.