Fishers of Men

I honestly had no clue where to go this blog, until this morning. As I was lying in bed last night, saying my evening prayer, I asked God if He would place Him on my mind and heart as soon as I woke. To my surprise (which I should have been surprised), He did exactly that. Only, two hours before my alarm was set to go off. (If you've ever wondered if God has a sense of humor, your curiosity rest in knowing that He certainly does.)

 I tried and tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't because my brain kept turning its wheels until I had somewhat of an epiphany on what today's post would bring. 

This is the day I(and many of my fellow classmates) have been anticipating for over a year now, and it  is  finally here. I'm leaving for college! We are leaving behind all we have ever known, to embark on the journey of starting life out on our own. I can't even begin to describe what that feels like... besides, well, WEIRD. 

As my thoughts were churning this morning, I was trying to figure out how I could relate my circumstance to a story in the Bible. What came to my mind, was the calling of the disciples. Now, the story of "The Calling of  the First Disciples," can be found in the gospel books of the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.) Each of the books, have a different perspective of the stories. Its like, you have four friends, and you were all at the same place, same time, but each were touched by the circumstance in a different way and absorbed different information.  I encourage you to find your favorite version and dive in! If you're feeling really adventurous, read each, or pick two gospels, and compare. 
Matthew 3:18----
Mark 1:14----
Luke 5----
John 1:35----

I'm going to mostly reference the book of Matthew because some of my favorite verses are found within its pages.
Matthew 3:18-22:
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said,"and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there he saw  two other brothers, James son of Zebadee, preparing their nets, Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boats and their father and followed him." 

This same account in Luke is found in chapter 5, where Jesus actually gets in the boats and tells Simon to "put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch", after the men had been fishing all night to no avail. You know the rest... they caught such  large number of fish, that their nets began to break, and both boats became SO full they began to sink.

 The disciples were ordinary men. Jesus came to them on an ordinary day. They left their family's and towns, and their jobs to venture into the unknown, following a man who, they thought could be the true Messiah.
When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we also become disciples. Throughout our faith walk, our different seasons of life, we learn. 

In the gospel of Matthew, you discover many of the (many) lessons Jesus taught his disciples. The Beatitudes(Chapter 5) . "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..." You also find passages on how we are the salt and light of the earth. (5:13-14) "In this same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (verse 16) 
Do not worry. "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:26-27) 
I could go on and on.

My point is, the disciples were scared, nervous, OVERWHELMED. They had no idea what they were getting into when He first said, "Come follow me." 
We are exactly like the disciples. They had trouble trusting a tangible Jesus, who lived and walked and breathed right beside them. 
We are going to have trouble trusting the Jesus who lives inside us, who we feel, and see in God's creation, miracles, or in just our quietness with Him. 

He has called US to be "fishers of men." So, whether you're like me, fixing to start a whole new chapter of life and you're nervous about the unknown, a little sad you have to leave behind your family and friends.... or maybe you're "some place you've always been," remember that you are a disciple of Christ. Our job, is to follow Him to the best of our ability. There are people you will meet, that will either change you or your love of God will change them. Our work is never through. He is always showing us new ways to trust in Him and giving us new perspective. 

He who is in you, is constantly working,healing, and changing your heart, it is not about what you do or what you're afraid of, it is about your faith remaining unshaken through the sunshine and the storms.

Pray With Me.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this day. Thank you for calling us to be "fishers of men," and for always teaching us something new. Help us to trust you when we cannot see where you are leading us, and to shine your light through us along the way. Thank you for exciting new beginnings, and beautiful endings. You are absolutely amazing. Never could we understand your ways, but you have not called us to understand, but to follow no matter what. We love you Lord.

Amen.