Free to Follow

Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” ~ John 21:19

There are big days, but then there’s the World Series of Birding. A birding big day is an effort to record as many species in twenty-four hours as possible. It can be done solo over whatever geography you choose, but many are parts of competitions pitting teams against each other in a prescribed area. The World Series is exactly what it sounds like, the ultimate birding competition. I’m an 18 year veteran who hasn’t competed in a decade, but the itch never goes away. As if birding isn’t addictive enough, committing to a team to give your best and fight to the finish can push you to limits you didn’t know were possible. Not surprisingly, the hardest part of any big day, and a World Series day in particular, is when the sun has set, limiting the species availability, and you are more exhausted than you thought was humanly possible. At some point it is no longer about the final tally, it is about not letting your friends down. No one wants to be the first to suggest quitting, that is the clock’s job. It always feels right to be rushing to get to the finish line by midnight rather than turning in the checklist with time to spare for the sake of the bliss that will come by laying your head on a pillow. Does that dedication pay off with added species against the long odds? Rarely. Arguably, the smart thing to do is get to the finish line before the youth teams eat all the food, but I’ve been wracking my brain, and while I recall numerous conversations, I don’t recall ever taking the easy option. Well, perhaps we did once on a cold, rainy night, but if we did, my guilt has caused me to suppress it.

It must have been the ultimate rush to experience the ministry of Jesus up close for three year like the closest disciples did. My guess is that their zeal never flagged in that time, always wondering what amazing thing would be next. It couldn’t have been easy. Often it was likely frightening. But the level of expectation and excitement must have been more than enough to keep on going...until the bitter end. The pain of that loss is beyond anything I have experienced and more than most people have known. The disciples must have felt completely lost, perhaps why they so quickly agreed to return to fishing when Peter suggested it. They might have decided that they no longer had Jesus to follow but little did they know that Jesus was following them. Just like the first time they met him, there he was on the shore, telling them how to improve their fishing. And like the first time, he expected them to follow him.

Technically, they were free to choose whether or not to follow. But really, after those experiences, was not following a viable option? That is not precisely our journey, so your mileage may vary, but if you have tasted the abundant life that following Christ provides, the itch to follow has become too real not to scratch.

Prayer: Wild Goose Spirit, free us from cautiousness enough to follow. Amen.