{"id":4436,"date":"2018-01-21T08:37:58","date_gmt":"2018-01-21T14:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/?p=4436"},"modified":"2018-01-21T08:37:58","modified_gmt":"2018-01-21T14:37:58","slug":"kingdom-god-abandoning-nets-follow-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/index.php\/2018\/01\/21\/kingdom-god-abandoning-nets-follow-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kingdom of God is at Hand: Abandoning Our Nets to Follow Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThen they abandoned their nets and followed him.\u201d (Mark 1:18)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The\u00a0place<\/a>\u00a0looks familiar. There is a swing set in the background and a metal merry-go-round in the middle. No one is on the playground, and everything is still and quiet, like that audible quiet one hears when it is snowing.<\/p>\n

I look around, and there is Jesus, standing in the middle of the playground. His dancing eyes are on me. His smile is full of delight and joy. His arms are outstretched toward me.<\/p>\n

My heart lurches forward in response to His love. Without thinking, my arms reach out to Him. His pull is so magnetic and electrifying.<\/p>\n

But my feet. Why can\u2019t I take a step toward Jesus?<\/p>\n

I stand on the edge of the playground. The Kingdom of Heaven that \u201cis at hand\u201d is right before my eyes. I want, more than anything, to run to Him. But it is as if my feet are cemented in place. I look down, and the thinnest, but strongest, strings are tied around my ankles. And the strings are attached to several, solid, metal bolts in the ground. These bolts surround me, as if holding me prisoner.<\/p>\n

How can I follow the Lord, with the abandon of the disciples, when I can\u2019t move an inch? How can I set out, like Jonah, for my own Nineveh to share the good news with others? How can I give Him my\u00a0fiat<\/em>, like Mary, and \u201clet it be to me according to [His] word\u201d?<\/p>\n

Fear rushes through my body. With panic in my eyes, I look to Jesus for help. Without a word, but with unconditional love in His eyes, He shows me that the bolts tethered to my ankles represent fear, doubt, perfectionism, and other burdens that hold me back from giving my\u00a0yes<\/em>\u00a0to Him with the abandon of the disciples, the trust of Jonah, and the faith of Mary.<\/p>\n

Jesus continues to stretch out His arms to me, and I desperately try to grab hold of His hands. But no matter how far I reach out with my upper body, I can\u2019t get close to Him.<\/p>\n

What do I need to do, Lord? How can I untie these knots? Give me the key! Give me the formula! I will do anything, Lord.<\/p>\n

No matter what I try, though, the burdens tied around my ankles remain. Sometimes they feel looser, when I am participating in the Sacraments and prioritizing prayer. But they don\u2019t go away completely, and I realize that I cannot pray, read, or serve my way out of this. I am too weak, too little to do this on my own.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake known to me your ways, Lord \u2026 for you are God my savior, for you I wait all the day long.\u201d (Psalm 25:4-5)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As I pray and wait, I wonder how long Jesus will wait for me. Will He move onto someone else, who can respond more quickly than me? Then, I remember Jonah\u2019s initial response to God. It wasn\u2019t so immediate or obedient. But God gave him another chance. Maybe God\u2019s patience is much greater than I realize.<\/p>\n

Then, I look up at Jesus again, and I notice that He is walking toward me, with His hand still outstretched. The space between us decreases with each step He takes. Jesus is approaching me!<\/p>\n

To continue reading, please visit me at the WINE: Women In the New Evangelization blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThen they abandoned their nets and followed him.\u201d (Mark 1:18) The\u00a0place\u00a0looks familiar. There is a swing set in the background and a metal merry-go-round in the middle. No one is on the playground, and everything is still and quiet, like that audible quiet one hears when it is snowing. I look around, and there is Jesus, standing in the middle of the playground. His dancing eyes are on me. His smile is full of delight and joy. His arms are…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[59],"tags":[3,8,24,27,69,7],"class_list":["post-4436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith","tag-faith","tag-mary","tag-ordinary-time","tag-prayer","tag-scripture","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Kingdom of God is at Hand: Abandoning Our Nets to Follow Jesus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"God has a lot of work for us in His Kingdom, and He calls each of us by name to a specific plan and purpose. 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