The Joe Journey

An Invitation
You want to follow Jesus but you’ve got some problems. Big problems. Problems that you think disqualify you from ever leading a life of discipleship.
Such as…
You are very busy. You’ve been listening to people who think you ought to spend hours every day in prayer and meditation and other spiritual disciplines. And here you are so busy dealing with the everyday stuff of life that you sometimes go out and meet yourself coming in. And because of that you conclude that you don’t qualify for discipleship. Some people will tell you that. But they’re wrong. I want to show you why I say this.
You are ordinary. You’ve been listening to some people who think you have to be a super-saint in order to be a good Christ-follower. Now, certainly, it would be nice to be a super person. I know I would like to excel in some area of life and hear the thunderous roar of approval from a crowd that adores people who are a cut above the rest of humanity, but long ago I realized that I’m just your average Joe and will never be able to wow the crowd in anything I do. But I’ve discovered something. You don’t have to be an amazing person when you have an amazing God.
You are a struggler. Again, you’ve been listening to some people who think that Jesus followers never have a bad hair day. Jesus followers always get up on the right side of the bed, always have it together. These purists talk a lot about the victorious Christian life and I wish they were right because I hate those days when everything seems to go wrong and I’m right there in the middle of the mess.
Busy, ordinary, and struggling. In baseball three strikes and you’re out! But this is not baseball. This is life! And I have discovered that even with these three strikes against me I can follow Jesus. Not perfectly, but I can do it. And so can you.