Following the Leader

"An elderly woman stood at a busy intersection, afraid to cross among the speeding cars on her own. As she stood there, a younger gentleman walked up to her and asked, 'Excuse me, Ma'am, but would you mind if I crossed with you?' Relieved she took his arm, and together they walked out into the busy street. With each step the woman became more and more terrified. The man, holding her by the arm, walked with quick steps straight ahead, seeming not to notice, or at least not be intimidated by, the numerous cars skidding and swerving around them. Once they reached the other side, the old woman, wide-eyed and out of breath, screamed at the man, 'What were you thinking?! You almost got us killed! Are you blind?!' 'Well, yes...' he replied. 'That's why I asked to cross with you.'"

Apparently it matters who we choose to follow.

So here I stand, weak and tired and worn down from all the stuff life has thrown at me, and it just seems impossible. There is no way I'll make it. I watch as one possible blow of destruction zooms past me, followed by another, and another, and another, and I begin to lose all hope of ever getting across.

My options: two friends. Both are vying for my attention and commitment. The first (the one I've known far longer) wants me to go places the second would never dream of taking me, and the second (who saved my life once) wants the exact opposite of the first. So here I stand, facing my fears, and trying to decide which friend will help me get wherever it is that I need to be.

"We can make it," the second one says. "I promise."
"Don't listen to him. It's not safe, and there's nothing over there anyway. Let's just hang out here for a while. Or...we could always go back."

That was his fatal mistake. I knew I couldn't go back. I knew "back" is where I almost lost my life. Yes, I had known him for a long time. Yes, we had been through a lot together. But I knew that he wanted me to be comfortable, and my comfort was almost the death of me before.

I give my other friend my hand. I take a deep breath. Together we walk out into the terror of my life. I close my eyes and just follow, trusting him with the steps, the pauses, the dashes. After all, "since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Living indeed. I can't wait until we make it across. But until then...