Debb Hackett

Follow by Beth Duewel (and a bit of Debb Hackett)

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew siting at a tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he rose up and followed him. Matthew 9:9.

BETH: Feeling a little at the end of myself after a hard week last week, I picked up the magazine called, Real Simple. I took it home and instantly felt a spark of energy. That is, until I read it. There were articles on how to purge your entire home of excess, how to curate your family’s ancestry, and one piece told me ways to “lighten up.” It all sounded good. Then, one article suggested I…. gasp… purge on my throw pillows! No. I mean, is this stuff for real? Do they even know what they’re asking from me? My point: Living real simple seems really, really hard. 

That’s why—for an overthinker—this verse from Matthew is the craziest concept. Mostly, because Matthew didn’t ask my multiple questions when I imagine this scenario, like: How long will we be gone? What should I pack? Follow you? Why? Where are we going? But Scripture tells us that he simply “rose up and followed.” 

Ride shotgun with Jesus?

DEBB: I think Beth’s reaction and Matthew’s are both reasonable. Who would part with throw pillows? Especially with the holiday upon us, I mean, come on – who doesn’t love a good pumpkin or holly cushion? I think if any of us were in Matthew’s position, with his experience of the Living God, we’d understand his response. Matthew knew, he KNEW who Jesus was. And the invitation to ride shotgun on the greatest adventure imaginable, was too great to turn down. 

BETH: I had a friend call me a few months back and ask, “What do you do when you feel like there’s no hope?” We’ve all been in this spot, haven’t we? We’ve experienced moments when we’ve questioned, lived out coping mechanisms we’ve exhausted—we’ve all had problems we could not fix. That’s why I love these words from my friend Rachel Anne Ridge, “We can try to fix everything, but what we’re really called to do is simply follow.” 

DEBB: And there it is. Beth just combined simple and follow. Because when you consider the source, following Jesus is a simple choice. Following Him in harder times can feel more of a burden if we take our eyes off what we gain. Matthew didn’t do that. And our prayer is that whatever you’re facing, you can face it with your eyes on the eternal, who in human form, is standing right beside you.

About Beth…