18And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
I couldn't imagine being like these disciples who were in the middle of a normal work day when Jesus called them to be fishers of men. They immediately dropped everything to follow Jesus.
Simon and Andrew had just cast their net into the sea. It says they left their nets and followed Him. Did they just leave the net in the sea? Did they already have some fish in their boat that would be left to rot? How about James and John? They were just helping their father mend their nets. Did they simply leave their father to finish mending the nets by himself, a task that seems to usually take all three of them?
Sometimes I wonder how I would respond to a call. It seems like I am always in the middle of something. Would I be able to be like Simon and Andrew, leave it incomplete to do what Jesus says? Plus even when I don't consider what I am in the middle of, I feel like I'm needed by others for so much. Who would take care of my husband and daughter if I wasn't there? Who would take care of all the housework and errands and everything else I do for my family if I left? Who would take care of all the things that I am responsible for at work if one day I just quit showing up? Would I be able to be like John and James and just leave all my responsibilities behind? Would I be able to put behind me any guilt for those I felt had depended on me?
Plus these guys were all fishermen. Did they even want to be fishers of men? It would have been easy for them to use the excuse, not today, we're in the middle of today's catch, or not today, our father needs us to help with the nets. Am I using these excuses? Does Jesus want me to teach Sunday School? Does He want me to help with stocking the food shelves? Does He want me to help with the many needs of our church? Do I reply with not today, I'm in the middle of a project and this is my only chance to work on it, or not today, my family has plans?
But Simon, Andrew, John, and James set the perfect example. They came immediately to Jesus' call. What I have to remind myself of is that Jesus' work is more important than anything I can possibly be in the middle of. Plus Jesus loves us all. He wouldn't call me to do something, pulling me away from others he loves, without seeing to their care too.
I think Jesus calls us all to do something. For some it will be something through what they are currently doing. For others, it will be through leaving everything behind and following a new path. I don't know what Jesus is calling me to do. I pray that my own desires don't deafen me to hearing what Jesus calls me to do, and I pray that I can follow that calling as wholeheartedly as these disciples did.