Following Him Where You Are

When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. // Luke 5:11

Over the years, I’ve encountered a handful of people who have this desire on their hearts to “leave everything and follow Him,” particularly to leave their current life and current responsibilities to serve the Lord in another grand way in another distant, foreign place. It’s a beautiful thing, but it’s also a very certain calling for some and not for all.

For many people—maybe for most of us, our calling to “leave everything and follow Him” means remaining right where we are and following Him here—even when we’d like to leave and start anew somewhere else.

I moved a lot growing up, every couple of years, and I loved that with every new place we moved, it felt like I got a new chance to start again. It felt like such a freeing opportunity—to be the person I wanted to be in this new place.

All these years later, I’ve now lived in the same town for almost nine years, and it has felt harder to “leave everything and follow Him” when it doesn’t mean getting that chance to start again, anew. But that’s the calling for me right now—maybe for you too? To follow Him today here, in my home, for my family, for my coworkers, for my community.

Maybe some day the calling will really change and it’ll mean leaving, starting anew somewhere else, but the graces the Lord gives us are in this present moment. Today we’re being asked to leave our wishes and desire for things to be different and to accept His will in our circumstances as they are.

How are you following Him today right where you are?

The graces the Lord gives us are in this present moment. // Annie DeddensClick to tweet

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About Annie Deddens

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Annie Deddens is a writer and producer. She runs a prayer ministry with her husband, called Pray More Novenas. She has a heart for the sick & suffering, and she writes about living with greater faith (hope & love, too) in this imperfect world as a Catholic wife on her blog, Catholic Wife, Catholic Life. Find out more about her here.