Yesterday, I headed off with a student for an overnight camping trip to Coal Lake. He needed some time away to refocus and refresh his perspective on life. And as it turned out I did too. We hiked in 3 miles to the Coal lake and set up camp. Our theme for the trip was Mark 1:17 when Jesus called out to some fishermen and told them to “Follow Me.” So we discussed what it meant to follow Christ.

Kierkegaard said that, “The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains, no matter where you are. The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, songs, he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admires, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires.”

We discussed how Jesus doesn’t want admirers. He wants followers. We really got into sobering discussions about how in both of our lives we follow in some areas and others areas we don’t. The scriptures say, “Come follow me, he said to Simon and Andrew. At once they left their nets and followed Him.” What will we decide? To drop all we have and follow Him? That’s what we’ve been called to do.

We ended our discussion with a poem by Steven James:

the path is narrow,

my heart is hard,

guide my feet.

break me, God,

for I will not bend.

and I’m not shaped as I should be

anymore.

Both of us left our trip challenged and convicted of the places where we’re not fully committed to Christ. Jesus doesn’t want part of us. He wants all of us. The cost is great. We’ll endure hardships, heartbreak and trials. No one ever said life was easy. No one ever said following Christ would was for pansies either. It simply comes down to a choice. Will I be known as an admirer or a follower?

Oh and here’s a shot of my new pair of Chacos I was breaking in on the trip. They’re the most amazing shoe/sandal known to man. I’ll give you the complete review later.