Following the Leader

1. We’re Following the Leader

No one whose hope is in You, will ever be put to shame…Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are my Savior.
Psalm 25:3-5

I remember years ago, watching a video of Peter Pan with my children. One of the songs pulled my attention away from the chores I was trying to get accomplished while my darlings sat mesmerized and entertained. The characters in the movie chirped happily as they marched along in perfect cadence singing,“ We’re following the leader wherever he may go….”
Of course, that worked fine in the Land of Make Believe, at least it did for Peter in the long run, but not so much for us trapped in today’s world. Jesus once told Matthew, “Follow me” (Matthew 9:9). He was Someone worthy of trust, Someone Whose word meant something. However, today’s world is filled with all types of leaders in all types of places, leaders that make sweeping vows of hope and deliverance, but their delivery falls quite short in the long run, hollow echoes of words, promises unkempt, promises broken.
In Psalm 25 David cries out to God that he knows he can trust God to show him the way. David confesses he is lost and afraid and does not know what to do.
Don’t we also feel shamed and betrayed when we give our trust over to others to help us and guide us, but they aren’t who they have led us to believe? We feel deceived and embarrassed that we did not see through their shams and fabrications. Worse, now it seems like the whole world knows our business, especially due to social networking sites, and we feel like we can’t even look anyone in the eye without being humiliated in return.
Indeed, you may have made similar mistakes as I have. At times I have put my trust in the wrong people. Too many times I have trusted my own intuition and insight in such matters and have totally left God out of the equation. Big surprise that this has led me to heartache, not only for myself, but for others I love as well. I hope you have not had similar regrets, but you might have.
Unfortunately, it is common for most people whether they own up to it or not. Welcome to the human experience! We’re all invited. We all participate. Thank God we have Him who understands us, Who made us and loves us, no matter what we have done, even those things that haunt us….







Prayer:
Dear Holy Father,
Forgive us for being blind-sighted by our need to control our own lives. We put our trust in humans instead of coming to You for support, which means certain disaster. Worse, we buck when You give us guidelines that You expect us to follow. Help us to understand that You are not trying to keep us from having fun and enjoying life. You are instead showing us the only pathway to life and happiness: Your leadership, Your will. It is only through the relinquishment of our wills to You that we will ever truly have purpose and meaning in our lives.
Amen