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Recently I re-read Matthew 4, where Jesus calls fishermen Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow him and become his disciples. “Come,” Jesus says. “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”
Matthew tells us that all four men immediately dropped their nets, left their boats and followed Jesus, and in that moment I wondered what Jesus might be asking me to leave behind in order to follow him. My initial response was, “Nothing.” After all, I reasoned, last year was my year of leaving things behind. I quit book publishing. I quite writing my monthly column for the local newspaper. I quit speaking. I let so much go; surely there couldn’t be more to release, right?
When I heard Jesus tell me to drop my nets, I realized he was asking me to leave behind my desire for clarity and direction behind. I am learning that there’s always more to leave behind. There’s always something else to drop. Each time I release a net, I come closer to being caught up in the vision of God.
This message is excerpted from “Drop your nets.” by Michelle Derusha in the June 2020 Gather magazine. Today is the Third Sunday after Epiphany. Today we commemorate the Conversion of Paul. Today is the last day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.