To be honest, life as a Christian sometimes has me wondering why it can’t be someone else’s responsibility. Especially in those times where it is hard or goes against what I naturally want to do. As an introvert, discipleship was never top of my priority list. Sure, I’ll tithe, read my Bible, attend service, fellowship at church and even with the Christian friends that I made at church but purposefully reaching out to strangers, staying in contact, building new relationships. It seemed taxing. A lot of work for what may not even pay off.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I have always been comfortable sharing my faith with strangers…especially if I doubted I would ever see them again. I could pray for them, ask them about their relationship with Christ, all of that. For me, what seemed to be too much was the building relationships part. Discipleship is more than just planting the seed, it is an active tilling of the ground and cultivating it; working with it to make sure that it is ready when you go to plant the seed. I didn’t want to do all that. And I am sure that I am not alone in that sentiment. I was in my bubble and while prayer and a kind word were nice, they didn’t take me out of my bubble. What I was failing to see was why God wanted me out of my bubble.
In college, I read a book whose title I can no longer remember whose very first line went something like this, “When we fail to make disciples, we fail to be a disciple ourselves.” That hit me right in the gut! The rod of correction came down, let me tell you! I had to think about it. As many times as I had read through my Bible cover to cover and came across what we now call the “Great Commission,” I had always separated myself from it. That was for other people, not me. That was for the speakers, the pastors, the evangelists, the go-getters and people-persons. None of which I was, nor am. (My social battery still drains fast, y’all. I am not gonna pretend like it doesn’t.) But, even still, I was supposed to help win souls.
So what happened next?
Well, I had to reevaluate everything I knew about discipleship. For so long it felt like this big drawn out process full of pomp and circumstance, something that had to be done a certain way. I thought I had to have a list of references and speakers to point people to, that I needed some sort of professional certificate to prove to people that I was someone they could trust. Holy Spirit had to correct this thought process in me. He let me know that discipleship can be as simple as going to lunch with someone one or twice a month, checking in on them, having real conversations and being sure to make God your reference point for all advice. Yes, it meant sustaining relationships, but it also just meant being myself. (That in itself was another struggle as I was used to pretending to be someone I was not!) Yet, as I continued on, the people I reached out to became friends for the most part. And for some, they may not have come to Christ but as long as I have done what I am supposed to do, that is enough.
At the beginning of this post I told you that I used to ask myself why can’t someone else do it. Well, the truth is, someone else can. However, blessings come in obedience and if God has called me to disciple others and grow His Kingdom, why wouldn’t I?
What are your thoughts on discipleship? Is it hard for you? Are there things about discipleship you wished you knew sooner?
