Follow the Leader

The Lord will work out his plans for my life — for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me. ~ Psalm 138:8 (NLT)

In grade school, at recess time, we’d sometimes play a game called “Follow the Leader.” It was a very basic game. Essentially, all of the students would line up single-file behind the person designated as the leader. Once everyone was ready, the leader would start walking, and everyone was supposed to follow exactly where the leader took them. Some leaders kept things simple and would just do a few turns here and there. Other leaders did crazy sweeping turns, about faces, and would even sometimes cause the line to intersect with itself at some point, causing collisions, bruises, laughter, and tears. Perhaps you’ve played it too.

As we age, this game becomes a little too “kiddie” for us. We get bored with it after only a little while. Why? It’s too simple. It’s not challenging. And, I believe, most importantly, we get tired of taking directions from the person in the front. They are either not creative enough or too creative for our liking. They lead us to do things we don’t like. They give confusing directions. The list can go on and on.

So, what then do we do when Jesus says, “Follow me?” As Christians, we are called to play Follow the Leader all the way into eternity. It’s a never ending game. Often times, much like the earthly game, we get tired of always following and either quit the game, or decide to carve our own path.

However, the psalmist in this verse gives us a great reminder. God created both us, as individuals, and the path He has laid out for each of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we are capable of, what our abilities are, (or could be) and where we will find fulfillment. So, He charts a course for us to experience all of those amazing things.

Rather than questioning when He asks us to turn, or debating why He is asking us to do an about face, or where we are going, we need to understand that His plans are always for our good. His plans are always for a blessing. His plans are always faith building. His plans are always made with our eternity in mind.

So, the command is simple: Follow the Leader. He leads, we follow. That’s it.