Would You Leave It All Behind?

When my husband and I married, we made a dedication to the Lord that we would always follow where He led us. We even created and signed a “constitution” during our vows that stated I would follow my husband where he led our family, and he would always lead us where the Lord was leading. 

Saying that you’ll follow God wherever and whenever He leads is easy because it’s expected from Christians. That’s part of the deal, right? But what happens when He actually calls you? Will you follow without question? 

Two months after our wedding, I was sitting on our living room floor, still unpacking our things in our new apartment. My husband walked in after work, looked at me, and said, “The Lord told me to move us to Tennessee next month.” I have moved about every year since I can remember, and my husband had lived in the same small town his entire life. You can imagine my absolute shock when he told me we were packing everything, saying goodbye to all our family and friends, and leaving behind everything he, especially, had ever known, to move somewhere we had never visited and where we knew no one… in a couple of weeks. 

Telling our families and friends was difficult because we honestly had no explanation other than “God told us to.” We packed the moving van on Christmas Day and left early the next morning. As we began our journey, fear and doubt immediately rushed in. “Was this really the Lord?” “What happens if it all falls apart?” “We just got married! How are we supposed to do this with no support system?” 

I’ll spare you the details, but it was the most rewarding season of our lives. We have seen God move in our lives in ways we’ve never experienced before!

All God wants from you is your “yes.” He just wants your obedience, and when you give Him that, He will open doors you never could have imagined would open! 

If He called you to do something or go somewhere today—would you? Would you leave everything you’ve ever known, your place of safety; would you leave it all behind to follow the path God has for you? Matthew did, without question. 

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9 NLT)

As soon as Matthew decided to leave his comfortable, lavish life to follow Jesus, people ridiculed him because of his social status as a tax collector. 

But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13)

God doesn’t call people who are perfect; He calls those who are willing. Just look at any individual in the Bible that God used. They were all very imperfect people who needed a Savior, but they said, “Here I am, Lord, send me” (Isaiah 6:8). 

Give God your “yes” today, and watch Him take you to places you couldn’t even dream of!

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.