Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” // Matthew 19:21
It’s easy for me to check off boxes, to fall into the habit of doing what I am supposed to be doing for the sake of doing—even things like prayer or other spiritual habits. Of course these things are typically born of love, and often motivated by love, but they can also slip into a steady rhythm of doing—and it is in that mindless place that love can fade away. We become robotic, and automatic, and we fall out of touch with the source.
See, the rich young man in today’s Gospel had it all on paper (see Matthew 19:16-22). He followed the commandments faithfully, and he couldn’t understand what more he could possibly lack. But Jesus desired for him to see something deeper, something transcendent, something beyond action, the thing only born in a free act of love—to give up everything and follow.
This sort of following is far beyond the physical. Perhaps, in the case of the young man, he was truly meant to literally follow Jesus in His traveling ministry—but for us, for you and me, our following takes place in a quieter, more hidden way. We follow when we stop to listen to a child in the middle of a hurried afternoon. We follow when we meet one another with a smile even when we don’t feel it inside. We follow when we set aside the task at hand to spend a moment in prayer. We follow when we sacrifice and when we struggle. We follow when we love.
There is something deeper here than just acting like a believer, something deeper than doing all the right things. Am I really ready to lay down whatever is holding me back—my attachments, my habits, my vices, even the many good things in my life—so that I can offer myself completely in love to Love Himself. Am I ready to follow?
Blythe Fike is the wife of Kirby and mother of eleven smallish kids in small town SoCal. She firmly believes sanctity is found in the everyday and is trying hard to live that truth, despite her countless fumbles. She enjoys sunshine in heavy doses, good music, and babysitters. She is a contributing author to our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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