There are a lot of words that I want 2020 to be, but my word for the year is Following. There are a lot of different contexts for the word “following,” so I’ll begin by explaining what this year’s following is NOT.

When I read a post on social media, and I am interested in the answer, I comment, “Following” so that I make sure I get notified of all the replies. I am not actually responsible to do anything with the information, I am just being an active observer in the situation. Not the follow I’m talking about.

When someone is talking and they aren’t sure if you understand what they are saying, you let them know that you do by saying, “I’m following.” This is a theoretical following. It means that you comprehend what they are explaining, but no real action is necessary. Also not it.

When I find a person on social media that I really admire and I find their words helpful, I click the little button to follow them. I’m not actually going anywhere, I simply make a decision to allow their influence to take up space in my curated cloud of ideas. I give them access to make an imprint on my life. Still no.

When I follow directions to make a recipe or to assemble something, I have a clear end goal, and very specific steps to achieve it. There is no guesswork involved, I simply have to check off each item in the list, and I am guaranteed the desired result. Nope.

None of these definitions of the word follow is what I am committing to this year. My definition is much more basic, less glamorous, and completely non-theoretical.

My idea of following for the year is like a sheep following a shepherd. 

This year, I am striving to follow Jesus in all of the tangible and difficult ways. 

What Following is:

1. Following is Obedience

   I’m guessing obedience isn’t a common goal for 2020. This is the last thing our culture values, but it is necessary for following.

2. Following is Sacrifice

   Obedience means bowing our own desires to God’s desires. It means submitting my pans to His plans. It means relinquishing my dreams to discover His. We must make ourselves second. Always. Each disciple that Jesus calls is busy with life when he steps onto the scene. With the simple words, “Follow me,” each individual drops what they are doing and walks away without looking back. They leave boats, families, responsibilities, and dreams. Each of them counted the cost, and found the sacrifice worth the reward.

3. Following is Faith

   I love to be the girl with the five year plan, but this past year was so far beyond my own expectations. I honestly don’t know where God is going with a lot of things that He has placed before me, but here is the beauty- I don’t have to! Not now or ever. I can follow Him and work at what He places before me with all my heart, knowing that His plan spans ages, not a minuscule five years, and His comprehension spans creation, not my limited view of experience.

   I want to have faith like the Israelites, who followed the cloud by day and the fire by night through the desert. They didn’t know the destination, how long they would stay at each place, or how long they would travel, but when the cloud moved, they packed up and followed. I want to have faith that follows when and where God desires to lead.

4. Following is Individual

   In John 21, Jesus gives Peter a little hint about how he will die. “Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them… When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’ (vs. 19b-22, NIV).

   Two disciples were following Jesus, and their paths were going to look very different even though they were following the same person. Following is going to look different for every person who pursues Christ. We can’t follow Christ when our eyes are looking around at everyone else to see if they are also going the same direction. Jesus’ leading is unique to each person, and our act of following will look different from everyone else’s. The moment we compare our path with others, we lose sight of the One we are following, and inevitably step off course.  

5. Following is Complete

   Surrender We can’t follow God a little. It is all or none. Matthew 16:24-26 says, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (NIV). 

   These verses are repeated almost word for word five times in the Bible. We must need to hear it that many times before it sticks! As followers, we aren’t called to alter our life, bend our desires, or postpone our goals. We are called to let them completely fall from our hands. Only then are we able to receive what God has to give us. We must completely lose our life to save it.

6. Following is Rewarding

   While following in obedience seems counterproductive to reaching our goals, it allows us to accomplish that which leads to true fulfillment, rather than simply satisfying a temporary check-list. In John 8:12b Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In John 12:26, He says, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” When we follow Jesus, we receive the greatest reward possible- being in His presence! 

This year, there is no other place I would rather be!