Reasons? Or Excuses?

If Jesus said, "Come follow me?" would you go? Or would you say, "Later, Lord.  First, I have to clean the basement. I have no vacation time from my job, and I have to raise some cash.  Besides, who will take care of my dog?"

A friend asks you to come visit, or go out to dinner or for coffee.  Do you find time? Or are you always too busy? If not now, when?

Is this the beginning of the end of a friendship? When will you find time? You will find the time to go to the funeral, or at least to buy a card. Your friend won't need you then.  The time is NOW. Have you so many who love you that you can afford to lose even one?

Opportunities we miss are unlikely to come to come along again. The boy who asked you out and you said no. The woman who offered you a job that you turned down. The invitation to learn to ski, or sail on the ocean, that you were too busy to try. The person who said he or she loved you, and you didn't take the time to get to know them. The friend who made you so angry that you could not forgive and begin again.  In the real world, there is no instant replay.

Some things have to be put off for practical reasons, like my trip to visit southern friends. Money, time (the lack of both) and responsibilities at home all play a legitimate part. It isn't that we don't WANT to follow our hearts, or follow Christ, for that matter.Sometimes they aren't excuses, but REASONS.

One more thing I am learning as I grow and change is that I have to learn to recognize which opportunities are one-timers, and which will be around in another year. Which friendships will stand the test of time, and which will quickly fade if not nourished?

Am I ready to follow my heart, or to follow Jesus, as the case may be? Am I going to jump off the deep end and grasp at anything and everything? Or use my common sense and S-L-O-W  D-O-W-N?

That's one I have to think about.