Follow Me

Have you heard the old expression; they’re just spinning their wheels? Sometimes in our Christian walk we can feel like our efforts are just that, spinning wheels making no real progress. With this in mind, let me tell you of a dream I had recently.

In my dream, I was sitting on a 5 gallon bucket at the side of an old dirt road. I was alone, except for a figure that kept coming closer to me. The stranger was wearing a hooded cloak, covering both his head and body. As he neared, I knew it was Jesus. Not sure how I knew, there was just a “knowing” deep in my heart. As He passed, He spoke saying, “Come, Follow Me.”

Remembering the story of Peter, James and John as they left their fish nets to follow Jesus, I knew I could do no less. Without hesitation I stood and began following Jesus’ footsteps… Now I am fairly nimble and keeping up with the Lord should NOT have been the struggle it became on this journey. His stride was 12 – 15 feet apart and jumping from one set of footprints to the next was more than just a challenge, it was nearly impossible. Straining to keep up, I told the Lord, “I can’t follow you, your steps are too far apart and I just can’t walk in them.” I continued to run and jump to match His stride and instead of stopping, He simply looked over His shoulder and said, “Follow Me.”

Nearly exhausted from jumping step to step, He approached a rugged hillside. It was a steep grade, strewn with ledges and rock outcroppings. The road we had been traveling was not as clearly defined now, my strength was gone and the hill got the better of me. I knew I would not make it, yet He just went on… I fell down and watched with great despair as He went over the top of the hill. His head disappeared from sight as He traveled down the other side of the hill. 

With Him gone from sight, a panic rose up in me; the kind a parent experiences when they’ve done the head count on their kids out in the water and one is missing. My heart was racing with fear of losing He Who was so dear to me. I felt I had lost Jesus. I couldn’t keep up and now He was gone. Once more I cried out “Lord… I can’t follow you!!!”

Just when all hope seemed lost, Jesus reappeared at the top of the hill and started toward me, where I lay at the base of the hill. My heart rose within me, He loved me enough to come back for me… I was NOT lost forever; He didn’t leave me. With no words condemning me for not keeping up or walking in His steps, Jesus bent over and picked me up, cradling me as a Father would hold his frightened child. Then softly he spoke, saying “I will never leave you nor forsake you” … In His presence I felt safe and secure. I will never forget that time of rest in His arms. 

He carried me over the steep grade, past the rocks and crevasses, and down the other side of the hill. When we reached the bottom, He placed me on the ground and once again said, “Follow Me”.

Once more I stood up and began running and jumping, trying with all my might to stay in His footsteps… we traveled along that way for what seemed a great distance, He seemed to stay so far ahead of me that when the gate came into view, I again panicked. Somehow I knew that gate was an opening to eternity and that it was just within reach, but Jesus was arriving so far ahead of me, would He go through without me? Once more my failure to “keep up” and step in His steps was crowding my mind and convincing me that I wasn’t worthy to go through that gate. To my great astonishment, and joy, Jesus opened the gate and waited for me to catch up… as I approached, He said “Enter in to My Glory.”

But Jesus, I didn’t step in your steps, I couldn’t do it… Instead I stumbled and fell… I didn’t do as you said, I failed… He looked at me with such compassion and said… “That is because you are John Compton and I am Jesus Christ… I didn’t tell you to step in my steps, I simply asked you to Follow Me, which you have done… Now, come into your rest.”

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There have been so many times that I have felt all my efforts were for nothing, that He could never be pleased with my stumbling and failures. Instead I have found that He desired my heart, not my works alone… my devotion, not simply my attendance at church… my worship, not merely my offering. Clearly, Jesus just wants me and not all that “I” bring to the table. He can use that too, but first and foremost, He wants me, my commitment and my devotion… all of me, not a part, but all of me.