Lent: A Time to Say Yes to Following Jesus

This article by Maurice Blumberg is written for men, but I think it can apply to women just as well: Lent: A Time to Say Yes to Following Jesus. In the article, Blumberg is reflecting on Jesus' calling of the apostles and what it means for us to be called as well. I especially liked this passage:

Follow me. It’s true, you may not start out as an ideal disciple, but as you follow, your heart will begin to change. What you are now isn’t an obstacle to what you can become— not to the Lord. He has had a vision for your life from the moment you were conceived. And that vision is one of blessing, not of curse. It’s a vision of fullness, not emptiness. It’s a vision in which every part of your personality—all of your talents, your character traits, and even your unique quirks—is filled with his life and is used to build his kingdom.

Of course, Jesus won’t force us to follow him; he simply calls us and it is up to us to make the right choice. But what is this choice? The choice is to give our lives to Jesus, and follow him, or to try to live life on our own. It’s a choice between actively believing in Jesus or pas­sively accepting a kind of “default” life in which we just go along with the rest of the world.