Follow Me

A story is told of a cub who got lost in a forest. Seeing a set of footprints, he follows it, believing that it will lead him to his
family. To his dismay, however, he finds a flock of ostriches. The following day, the cub follows another set of footprints but
after walking for a long time, he sees a herd of elephants. Although discouraged, the cub follows yet another set of footprints,
this time leading him to a pack of wolves.

At this, a wise owl, who had observed all of this, offers a piece of advice, saying, “Your destination is determined by the
footprints you follow. Follow footprints like your own and they will lead you to where you want to go.”
The next morning, the cub does just that. Ignoring other sets of footprints, he searches meticulously for a lion’s footprints.
Finding and following lions’ footprints finally leads him to a lion’s den and his family.

(From Tassels of Thought by Bro. Andrew Maria, MMHC)

 

In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus tells His disciples to follow in His footsteps by taking up their cross to follow Him. The
Christian life can be challenging. Jesus did not promise those who choose to follow Him, that life would always be easy.
Nevertheless, if we endure to the end, we will find our desired destination and gain eternal life and the many blessings that
come with it.

Many people followed Jesus and listened to Him preach about the Kingdom of God. However, not all of them were his
disciples. Today too, there are people who claim to follow Jesus even though their hearts are far from Him.
Just like the lion cub who followed the lion’s footprints to find his way home, we too can choose to follow in the footsteps of
Jesus and stay on track by adhering to these

His primary teachings:

Love your enemies – Not everyone is going to like us. One way to follow Jesus is by praying for those that despise us and
treating them with kindness even if it is never returned.
Love your neighbour – Jesus consistently taught His disciples to love others and show compassion to everyone they interact
with. Being a disciple of Jesus means showing love to everyone we meet. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Do not judge others – Sometimes, we make assumptions about people based on what we see. The Bible tells that only God
knows the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). We can practise following Jesus every day by refusing to cast judgment on others.
Be humble – If we are seeking to follow Jesus, then we must be humble. When we humble ourselves before God and we
practise meekness in our interactions with others, God will lift us up.
Do not worry – God has promised to take care of us. Whenever you find yourself worrying, remember that God has your back.
Remember the sparrows (Matthew 10: 29-31).
Worship God whole-heartedly – Worship, praise and thanksgiving should be an everyday part of our Christian routine. When
we pray to God, we shouldn’t forget to worship Him and thank Him for everything He has done for us.
Show Jesus in everything you do – We are citizens of God’s kingdom. When we are actively following Jesus, others will be
able to see His light shine through us and be drawn closer to Him.
Seek God First – Seek God first, in all decision making. We must consider the will of God for our lives, and then seek to
fulfill it as best we can.

This Sunday, in Australia, we celebrate Father’s Day. We cannot take our role as fathers lightly. In fatherhood, God has united
the greatest privileges and responsibilities of leadership. Our children follow our footsteps as we lead them on a physical,
emotional, intellectual and spiritual path. As fathers, we need to accept, love and guide our children, without conditions or
condemnation, just as our Father in heaven accepts and loves us, and help them to follow in the footsteps of Jesus too.
We thank our fathers for their care and for leading us to where we are.

Deacon Michael Khoury