Just like that. It seems so simple. It’s time to repent and believe in the gospel. Jesus walks by men working in their boats in Galilee and calls out to Simon and Andrew, to James and John. They drop what they are doing and follow him. I can imagine Zebedee, father to James and John, who is left holding the nets with the hired man. What was that like for the four soon-to-be-apostles? What a simple, yet powerful call from Jesus. And yet, likely not so simple as we can see from Zebedee and the nets.
I think the call to repent and believe in the gospel is one we see and hear and feel every day. Every hour. Every minute. We make choices about how we are living our lives. And it’s the small choices, the small actions that establish the pattern of our lives, the way we follow the gospel. I want to repent and believe and live out the gospel. But I have to do the work in my thoughts and in my actions every day. Every hour. Every minute. God is waiting for me. I can stop what I’m doing and follow Jesus. I can do the right thing for myself, for my family and friends, for my community and the world. I can, as a broken and flawed human who is always loved by God, start over when I’ve made mistakes and fallen short.
Life doesn’t seem simple, most of the time. Working to find God in all things, including myself, is one way to work on finding the path I should follow. I pray today for the strength to repent and believe in the gospel.
Carol Zuegner
Writing and reading the Daily Reflections helps me connect with my faith.
