Are you a follower or a leader? I enjoy taking charge and am not shy with my opinions. While I try to temper my blatant approach, leading still is my natural inclination. I like doing things my way. But Isaiah reminds us and Jesus commands us differently.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. ~Isaiah 53: 6a
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. ~Matthew 16: 24
Suddenly, being a follower takes on much deeper meaning.
My life shouldn’t be all about me and my way. It should be about the life God has planned for me.
Finding God’s path for us can be a conscious choice. Or, we can float along in life hoping to bump into it along the way. I want to actively seek His plan for me. This can only be done by following.
Today, following has an entirely new definition. We ‘follow’ people and businesses on social media to know what they are up to. Our interest in their words and actions impact our lives, ideally for the better. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. So who are we following?
Jesus calls us to be His followers. God doesn’t want us to just know of Him; He wants to be truly known. The difference is awareness versus relationship. I know of many people. But I have meaningful relationships with far fewer. Relationship involves time, energy and effort. Jesus calls us to follow Him as He leads. Along the way, we develop a stronger bond. There is an awareness yes, but an even deeper relationship grows as we follow.
Being the leader I desire to be comes only after I follow Jesus. His ways are greater than my ways. So while I may wish to lead, I want to known as His follower first. When I put Christ first, the rest of life falls into place. Understanding this in a deeper way led to the name of this blog. But following His footprints each day takes effort.
Unlike social media, following Jesus involves more than just a click. To become a more fully engaged follower of Jesus and hopefully encourage us along the way, please join me for my Lenten FOLLOWER series of blog posts. 
Using a MemoryMinders tip, I will use the word FOLLOWER as an acronym, exploring key concepts of being a follower using each letter of the word. This mental reminder of crucial elements of being a Jesus follower will hopefully lead us deeper to His path for us. Only after we follow Him, can we effectively lead others to Him.
Please leave your comments here or on social media, I’d love to hear your thoughts on being a Jesus Follower. Feel free to use #FOLLOWER. Together let’s lead others to Him by being a FOLLOWER first.
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. ~Psalm 25:4-5
Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path. Psalms 27:11