When God Calls You To Leave…

This post is written to link with Five Minute Friday: write for five minutes on a one-word prompt. The prompt today is “leave.”

“The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land I will show you.”” (Genesis 12:1 NLT)

I can only imagine the courage it took for Abram to step out in obedience to God, to leave behind his home and his relatives to enter the unknown. Surely there was sadness and some degree of apprehension, but I’m guessing there was also excitement. The command came with promises of incredible blessing if Abram would only obey.

It was the same for Jesus’ first disciples:

“Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.” (Luke 5:10-11 NLT)

Another courageous step into the unknown, but another amazing promise of the blessing of being part of God’s work.

For us too, if we’re going to follow Jesus, there may be times when he calls us to leave, even to leave something good. That comes with its challenges, both for those leaving and those being left behind. It can be hard to leave the comfortable and familiar to step into something unknown, but I know the times I’ve done that in response to God’s leading have led to some of the greatest blessings.

It may be daunting and it may be hard, but if God is calling, we have to trust that, as C.S Lewis put it, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”