"For several years now, I have known that one day our Lord would lead me into some sort of full-time international ministry. I didn’t know when, where, or how that would happen, but I knew with all certainty that my future would include serving overseas.
When Katie and I began the process of intentionally searching out where Jesus was leading us to, more than a few thoughts and questions flooded my heart and mind. There was one question God challenged me with that I knew would come up over and over again: Is following after Jesus really worth it? At the time I felt like I could easily answer that, yes, following Jesus was obviously worth anything that could come my way.
My belief in that answer has been tested more over the past 6 months than at any other point in my life. As we started to walk more and more through the process of preparing to move to New Zealand, the cost of following Christ became greater and greater to us. Truly following Christ, for us anyways, meant that we would soon be moving out of a house we loved in downtown Indy. It meant that we would have to spend hundreds of difficult hours contacting people in order to raise our support. It meant we had to leave behind jobs that we both enjoyed and take a substantial paycut along the way. On top of all this, we knew we’d be leaving behind countless numbers of friends and family that we love; people that have been such incredible friends to us over the past three years.
Despite the challenges and hardships, some expected and some unexpected, I can continue to say that following Christ is 100 percent “worth it.” Jesus has been worth hearing, “What? You’re quitting your job?” He has been worth having to give away several of our possessions, including a vehicle. He has been worth all of the stress, heartache, and conflict that we have faced as we have walked out our calling. Over and over again, God has proven Himself faithful to us. Whenever it seems too difficult for us to continue on this path, or we selfishly feel that we’re having to sacrifice too much, God has come through and provided for us. He has taken care of every detail, comforted us at every corner, and provided the encouragement we need to press on.
In each of our personal journeys, there will come a point when we face the question of “Is following Jesus really worth it?”. It might come up when you need to forgive someone that you don’t want to forgive. It might present itself when your family struggles financially and you decide to continue to give to the church. It could come up when you struggle to find ways to love your co-workers and introduce them to Jesus. It even manifests itself in simple situations like the struggle to set aside time in our busy days to give specifically to meeting with Him.
I can tell you that in all, the answer will always be, “Yes, following Jesus is worth it all.” Make every effort to choose to follow Him when decisions are difficult, and even when they are easy and obvious, and Christ will prove Himself worthy to you just as He has to me."
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