When Texas pastor Jim Denison was in college, he served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia. While there he attended a small church. At one of the church’s worship services, a teenage girl came forward to announce her decision to follow Christ and be baptized. During the service, Denison noticed some worn-out luggage leaning against the wall of the church building. He asked the pastor about it. The pastor pointed to the girl who had just been baptized and told Denison, ‘Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she could never go home again. So she brought her luggage.’ (Raymond McHenry, Stories for the Soul (Hendrickson, 2001), p. 48)
This story shows the seriousness of the decision to follow Jesus. For me it was easy, my family encouraged me to follow Jesus. But would I have made this decision if I had faced rejection like this? I wonder whether the ‘ease’ with which my decision was made makes me less serious in following it through. I wonder whether an ‘easy’ decision to follow Jesus can actually lack depth and conviction. I wonder whether the relatively small cost of following Jesus for me makes it less passionate, less intense. I can drift through my walk with Jesus, not much is at stake. The idea of ‘packing my bags’ makes me think about how much of myself I am investing in following Jesus. Have I packed my bags? Is my whole heart and life invested in being a Jesus-follower?