"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ask for whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you."
John 15:7
Jesus' instructions sound fairly simple. "Abide in me," he says.
He is describing the intimate relationship of disciple and Lord. Jesus is suggesting that, as we journey, we stay in step with him. And it sounds simple enough. What's more, that kind of abiding is exactly what we want. We want to be close to Jesus; we want to walk with him. What could be better than that? That kind of intimacy is both what he commands and what we want.
Then, one day, we realize that we are walking down the path . . . alone. Where did Jesus go? Are we ahead of him - or behind? And did we walk away - or did he? Abiding seemed so simple. And it's exactly what we wanted to do. But somehow, it's not exactly what happened. Somehow, we stopped abiding . . . and we didn't even notice.
Until now . . .
He is describing the intimate relationship of disciple and Lord. Jesus is suggesting that, as we journey, we stay in step with him. And it sounds simple enough. What's more, that kind of abiding is exactly what we want. We want to be close to Jesus; we want to walk with him. What could be better than that? That kind of intimacy is both what he commands and what we want.
Then, one day, we realize that we are walking down the path . . . alone. Where did Jesus go? Are we ahead of him - or behind? And did we walk away - or did he? Abiding seemed so simple. And it's exactly what we wanted to do. But somehow, it's not exactly what happened. Somehow, we stopped abiding . . . and we didn't even notice.
Until now . . .
I once read a story about a man in Mississippi. (The author promises that the story is true; he says that this really happened):
This man was on a road trip with his wife. They stopped at a rest area to stretch. After they got out of the car and wandered around for a bit, the man got back in the car and drove off. For eighty miles he drove . . . before he realized . . . that he had left his wife at the rest area.
On that long drive back to get her, he fretted about how to explain why it took him eighty miles to become aware of her absence.
Eighty miles!
The author wraps it up by saying that, over time, the story has become a favorite story told and retold at family reunions. I'm sure that's true. The story is probably hilarious now - but I doubt that it was very funny when it first happened.
But every time I think about the story, I am reminded of how important it is for us to pay attention to our abiding. Jesus tells us that if we abide in him . . . then what we ask for will be done for us. When we abide in him, he shapes us. Even our wants come under the sway of his influence. His presence with us begins to define our wishes and dreams. And it all starts with abiding.
The first choice is so crucial - to choose to abide in him. Then, we choose to keep our focus. Abiding won't happen by accident. We choose daily to stay close.
And if, by chance, we discover that we're alone, it's time to stop and retrace our steps.
Hopefully, it won't take us eighty miles to realize his absence.
The author wraps it up by saying that, over time, the story has become a favorite story told and retold at family reunions. I'm sure that's true. The story is probably hilarious now - but I doubt that it was very funny when it first happened.
But every time I think about the story, I am reminded of how important it is for us to pay attention to our abiding. Jesus tells us that if we abide in him . . . then what we ask for will be done for us. When we abide in him, he shapes us. Even our wants come under the sway of his influence. His presence with us begins to define our wishes and dreams. And it all starts with abiding.
The first choice is so crucial - to choose to abide in him. Then, we choose to keep our focus. Abiding won't happen by accident. We choose daily to stay close.
And if, by chance, we discover that we're alone, it's time to stop and retrace our steps.
Hopefully, it won't take us eighty miles to realize his absence.