"Be everywhere, do everything, and never fail to astonish the customer." That's the motto of Macy's, and it also sums up what I expected from Jesus when I first began to follow Him. I thought He would be everywhere and do everything I wanted Him to do with astonishing power.
He has astonished me, all right--by not doing what I expected. Everyone who follows Jesus will at some point hit the this-isn't-what-I-signed-up-for wall of disillusionment. Why should we keep following Him when He doesn't exceed our expectations?
This Sunday at White Pine, we watch as Jesus astonishes His disciples, and not in a delightful way. We see most turn away and a few keep following. And we discover what fueled the endurance of the minority, so that we too will have what it takes to follow our unpredictable Lord all the way to the finish line.
