I love the Gospel reading this week! This passage from Matthew begins the familiar tale of Jesus choosing his twelve disciples. I can picture Jesus walking around in his sandals on a dusty road in the ancient Middle East, stopping to eat and talk. How many people must he have met? How did he choose his closest friends and followers? Though the exact number of the disciples is disputed (something I learned in theology class last week), nonetheless Jesus was surrounded by a committed group of men and women who helped spread his message long after his death.

According to the story, Jesus chose fishers, tax collectors, and other low class citizens to be his disciples. They weren’t particularly important people on the social ladder of the day. They were ordinary people with hopes and dreams, heartaches and suffering. They were very human, full of passions and sins and problems. Throughout the gospels, we are reminded of their humanity as they doubt, betray, and question Jesus. Still, Jesus accepted them and welcomed them into his life and his ministry. Two thousand years later, Jesus extends that same invitation to each of us. This is the reason I love this reading. It is a reminder that we don’t need to be perfect to be a follower of Jesus. We too are deeply human, full of passions and sins and problems. We should embrace the imperfections and the failures. We should be honest and bring our entire self to the table and offer our lives to God, however God wants to work through us.

One other thought: The disciples chose to drop everything and follow Jesus. Imagine that! A new guy comes to town preaching a new Gospel and asks you to join him and spread his message. What an incredible amount of faith (and a little bit of craziness!) that must have taken! I think we can all learn from that as well. Life is full of options and choosing the safe one isn’t always beneficial in the long run. If you take the time to listen, there may be a little voice leading you into the unknown. Though leaving your comfort zone seems daunting, choosing that road less traveled will always be an opportunity for growth. And growth is always a good thing in my book!

The psalm reassures us, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?” Take a deep breath & take the plunge! Bring on the scary, exhilarating, heart-breaking, crazy, wonderful unknown!