Immediately

And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Immediately. They left their nets and followed Him immediately. 

Wow. Can you imagine the scene? These fishermen lived a simple life, but one that followed a pattern. A daily pattern that never changed. You get up early. You get in your boat. You throw your nets into the water. You catch fish. You go home. 

But this day, which started just like every other, was one unlike any other. This was the day of The Call. On this day, life would forever change for these simple fisherman.

And they didn't hesitate for a second. 

Let me tell you, I hope and pray that if that ever happened to me, if Jesus walked out of the blue and said, "Gaby, follow Me," that I too would drop everything and follow. Immediately.

What does that even mean? I never do anything immediately. I always hesitate. I ponder. I weigh the potential obstacles, the possible outcomes, the necessary effort. I consider what people around me might think. I am to a degree crippled by my own mind and perceptions. 

Would I be able to drop everything, at a moment's notice? Would I be able to sacrifice life as I've always known it, to follow Jesus wherever He might call me? 

I mean, He could call me to Haiti. He could very well visit me today and say, "Gaby, follow Me to Haiti. Minister to your brothers and sisters. Leave everything and just go. Now." What would I say? Would I say, "But Lord, my life, my music, my ministry is here! Are You sure? Have You really thought this true?"

I honestly can't imagine. Too many times, I go before the Lord with a list of things I want to tell Him or ask Him for, but I don't set the time aside for silence, to simply listen to what He might say. Because frankly I'm afraid of what He might ask. I love my life. It's simple, but it's comfortable, stable, and predictable. I don't want to change. 

And yet, He calls us daily to change, to transformation. Look at this Sunday's gospel. Taken from Matthew 17, it chronicles Jesus' revelation of His true glory to his disciples. He takes them away from the hustle and bustle of life, to the mountaintop of Tabor, where all is silence and wind and isolation. There, in the quiet, He reveals Himself. And they are forever changed. 

It is in the silence that we find God. Away from the distraction of daily life - although we can most certainly find God there too. In the silence, we discern His will. In the silence, we hear His call - follow Me and I will transfigure you. 

I believe that it is our fiat, our proclamation of "Yes" to whatever the Lord asks, that gives us the strength and courage to accomplish what He requires. When we courageously and obediently say "Yes, Lord," set aside our nets, and follow Him, He then meets us where we are and gives us all we lack. 

 

The key is that immediate action. When we stop to consider the consequences or to tally our potential losses, we are crippled by indecision, by fear. When we act immediately and dive right in, we discover that He is there, granting strength, imbuing us with grace. 

And then that all-too-familiar phrase reveals its truth: "All things are possible."