Follow the Leader

I've shared before that my car collection was my favorite childhood toy. The collection was extensive, and the accessories, from the gas station to the racetrack, were just as awesome. As an adult, my love for cars and driving didn’t fade. Give me some good music and an open road, and I'm in one of my happy places.

Now, although I love a good drive on an open road, one of my least favorite things is traffic, especially while stuck behind a big SUV or truck. You can’t see over them or around them to read the traffic ahead. The only view you have is your immediate surroundings and the back end of the truck in front of you. I don’t know about you, but it can be such a frustrating situation.

With the recent snowstorms that hit the East Coast, traffic patterns are unpredictable. Partial or full lanes are randomly blocked, three lanes suddenly become one before turning back into two or three, and mounds of snow and ice occupy the shoulders of the road. Add a big truck in front of you while driving in these conditions, and you have a recipe for an interesting adventure. The only choice you have to survive this winter obstacle is to carefully follow the leader, a.k.a. follow the car in front of you.

As I navigated my way through these conditions the other day, a big truck moved over in front of me and slowed down. I was so tempted to be irritated, but then it came to me, my posture while driving behind that truck was similar to how many believers feel following Jesus. We say we love Him. We say we trust Him, but when He asks us to follow Him at His pace, we’re ready to speed around and pass Him, even though we have limited information about the conditions up ahead. I chuckled at myself and quickly corrected my heart posture toward the moment.

Yahweh, being the loving Heavenly Father that he is, brought Psalm 23 to my attention, specifically verses 1-4. They read:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

When we decide to follow Jesus, it’s just like driving behind the big truck. You can’t see beyond what’s in front of or beside you. You have to focus on the Shepard (the leader) that’s directly in front of you, guiding you when to get over, when to slow down, and when to stop. If you try to swerve around Him, you could run into unexpected hazards that can harm you or severely derail your journey.

As believers, we must take heed and trust the Good Shepard that Yahweh has given us to follow. Yahweh never asked us to be perfect. He simply asked us to trust and obey. When we follow Jesus and His examples, we are able to dwell in the safety of Yah’s shadow (Psalm 91:1). And when we are in the shelter of Yah’s shadow, we are protected by his rod and staff (Psalm 23:4). When I looked up the biblical significance of the rod and staff, I learned that the rod was used for protection and correction, while the staff was used for guiding and rescuing.

I know sometimes following Jesus feels like we are in the slow lane while everyone else is boot-scootin' and boogiein' on up the road. But I encourage you to stay the course and continue to follow Jesus. Don’t be in such a hurry that you forfeit the safety of Yah’s shadow. As Ecclesiastes 9:11 reminds us, the race is not given to the swift. Safe journeys!