Cost of Discipleship - with apologies to Dietrich Bonhoeffer

As any of you who have been anywhere near my FB status for the past couple of weeks know, I have a wicked case of poison ivy. And I got that poison ivy in New Orleans. Strangely enough, the poison ivy saga has made me think a lot about the idea of "the cost of discipleship." I don't really spend a lot of time thinking about that, I guess. The idea that living the life Jesus wants us to live sometimes involves a cost, or a sacrifice. Grace is free, salvation is free, eternal life is a gift....but living this life to the fullest as a follower of Christ? Not always easy. You're probably wondering where I'm going with this and when will I get there. Well, here's the connection. See, I wasn't just bumming around New Orleans when I got the poison. A group of us were down for the National Youth Gathering - hearing Jesus' call to learn more about life in Him with 37,000 other teenagers. It was awesome - you've probably seen my pictures. If you haven't, check out my photo albums. Anyway, part of the week involved a ServantLife event - a service project. We were hearing God's call (through the Gathering) to serve His people and His creation. You guessed it....being disciples. Our service involved tearing out invasive species of plants that were choking the native plants and building a walking trail in a park. That is, restoring God's creation to what He meant it to be (Katrina had disrupted the natural ecosystem) and creating ways for humans to enjoy God's creation. Honestly, it was a pretty cool project. Being disciples and stewards of the Earth - awesome! WELL. Here's the kicker. I know that I'm sensitive to poison ivy. I knew full well that if I worked on this project, I would probably end up with poison ivy. I had a choice - I could either work alongside the teenagers, or I could sit it out and just "supervise" from the sidelines, maybe refill water bottles or get tools as people needed them, anything to keep me out of the brush. I mean, people would understand, right? That I wanted to keep my skin healthy and not get a horrible rash? Maybe, but if I did that, was I REALLY being a disciple in that time and place? Or was I more concerned with my own comfort and health and safety? I chose to take the risk. I chose to work side by side with people I knew and people I didn't know - but all brothers and sisters in Christ working for a common goal - caring for God's creation. And you know what? Yeah, I'm hurting now...but it was totally, totally worth it. The things I saw that day were beyond amazing. And I'm blessed now to be able to share those stories - how three church groups from different parts of the country became one community working for a common goal, how strangers became friends became family in Christ by sharing stories and working together, how we saved native plants and created a beautiful trail through the trees. Also, I saw and experienced people taking care of each other - from making sure we all took enough breaks (it was HOT that day) to caring for emotions to helping with tough spots and big heavy things that had to be carried. I saw disciples following Jesus that day. And you wanna know something else? This rash has become probably the strangest ministry tool I've ever been given. So many people have asked me where I got the rash and what I could possibly have been doing, and that's given me the chance to talk about the Gathering and the amazing things teenagers do when they hear God's call. Not just our group, but the 37,000 of us who spent three days in service to God's people in New Orleans. Weird, I know, but I've been able to "bear witness" about the Gathering to people I probably never would have had the chance to. God does, indeed, work in mysterious ways. I just wish it were a little less itchy. :) Now, I'm truly not telling you this story to get sympathy, or get pats on the back for how "brave" or "noble" or "religious" I am or whatever. Nor have I been thanking God every day for the opportunity to use this rash to talk about Him. I've been whining and complaining all week, honestly. BUT - this story isn't about me. I'm just the example. This story is about how God works in the world. Even the really weird ways that you can't see at the time. See, following God isn't always easy. In fact, it very often is hard! Sometimes it's just a little hard, sometimes it's amazingly hard and demands great sacrifice. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from whom I stole the words "cost of discipleship," ended up dying for his discipleship - he sacrificed everything to follow God's call.) Sometimes, it involves choices that we just flat out don't want to make - that's when we often say, "Enough, God! How much am I supposed to sacrifice? What else do I have to give up?" But the truth of the matter is, ANY sacrifice, if we're truly following God, is worth it. The bone-deep peace and joy we experience knowing that we are doing God's will - thanking God for his gift of grace through our actions - is indescribable. Sometimes, we see the results of our discipleship, like when I looked at the trail we had created. Sometimes, unfortunately, we don't - it's too long-term. And sometimes, the joy and peace is so deep that it's covered by the short-term pain of the sacrifice. And that's when we have to trust in God's love and cry out to him for help and comfort. And God will be there to hold you in his arms through the experience. Most of us aren't asked to sacrifice the way Bonhoeffer did. But for all of us, following Jesus involves a cost. And I hope, that as you go through life, you find the strength and love to remember that no cost is too high - it's worth it. It's worth everything. Have a blessed week, my friends!