A teenage girl at holiday camp was torn between two sets of friends. Some of them were sunbathing on the jetty, saying to her “stay with us.” But her other friends were in a rowboat saying “no, come with us.” There she stood, one foot on the jetty, the other foot on the edge of the boat, and the boat was moving. Trying to appease everyone, putting of the decision, she ended up falling into the water; and worse, her hair got wet!

But I think this is exactly what Jesus is addressing in the gospel lesson today. He is warning us that there will be times when following him will require us to turn away from something else. There will be times in this life when we will be required to say “yes” to one thing, and therefore “no” to the other. And of course, faced with the necessity of making a decision, the action we often take is the same one that girl did on the jetty. We try to go in both directions. We try to say “yes” to it all, and we end up falling in between the cracks, and being miserable.

Jesus does not promise a life of ease… but he does offer the gift of his presence and peace, as we follow in His footsteps. May this be your experience as you journey through this week>

Blessings

Rev Shan