“Come follow me”, Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:19-20
They left their nets and followed him.
This is a widely studied and referenced verse that brings us back to the first people who literally followed Jesus.
They followed him.
Although the disciples are given a lot of credit for committing to follow a man they just met, I find the profoundness in this verse lies in what the fisherman had to do first before they followed him.
They left their nets.
There is so much more to this than the physical letting go of their nets. These men were fishermen. Their worth, their past, their future, their identities were in those nets. This action was not only practical (who wants to carry around a net that smells like fish?) but also very much symbolic of the decision the first disciples were making. Before they could follow Jesus, they first had to let go of their own agenda. They had to come to terms with leaving their comfort behind them in order to step into the unknown towards something better.
I have recently been going through the same journey. I had a timeline of what my life was going to look like for the next several months. I had nicely planned out my steps, and was floating along without a care in the world. That is, until about a week ago. I went to Georgia to assist with a World Race training camp. Through a serious of random (but not random at all) events, God used an amazing group of people to reveal what His next step is for me. It is a step that people have been telling me I was going to take for a year now. But up until next week, I wasn’t ready to let go of my net.
That being said, plans have changed. A few days ago I was accepted to Squad Lead in September!!
I will be co-leading a World Race squad and walking beside them for the first few months of their journey. I am so stoked to be able to be a part of this. I can’t wait to meet my squad and see what God has planned for them as well as me.
If you have already donated for me to attend CGA, thank you so much! That money will go towards my fundraising goal for Squad Leading. I need to raise a total of $6,500 in order for this to happen.
If you would like to donate, you can make checks payable to Adventures in Missions, with Erin Hogan in the memo line. Checks can be sent to:
Adventures in Mission
P.O. Box 742570
Atlanta, GA 30374-2570
You can also donate online by clicking “Support Me” on the left hand side of my blog. All donations are tax-deductible and go straight through Adventures in Missions.
Please email ([email protected]) or call (240-409-0275) me for more details. I am excited to partner in this journey with you.
