Follow the Leader
Follow the Leader is a silly children’s game involving mimicking the movements of the line leader. It’s a game beloved by preschoolers but as we age, following a leader loses its charm. We’re told we should be leaders rather than followers and parents warn children strongly against the dangers of becoming a follower. The classic “if all your friends jumped off a bridge would you jump too?” comes to mind.
But sometimes being a follower is exactly the right thing to do.
My sons and I recently took a bucket list trip to Alaska. They are adventurous young adults, and I am a middle-aged lady, but I did my best to embrace each of our excursions with a sense of “oh boy!!” We went dog sledding, fly-fishing, deep-sea fishing, hiking and on our final day, glacier trekking. We strapped on crampons (spikes attached to the bottoms of boots for grip) and harnesses, which would be used only in the event of falling into a crevasse. Oh boy!!
We had a guide who had walked the face of the glacier hundreds of times. He knew the lay of the land but was quick to mention that the ice was always shifting, and our path would therefore be somewhat spontaneous. As we took off after him, one of my sons led the way with me close behind and the other three trailing. Shortly into the journey, my son turned and said “Mom, you should walk behind him and watch where he steps instead of me. He knows the best places to plant your feet.”
I was touched that my 21-year-old son would have such thought and care for me, but there was a deeper lesson in it. The guide knew how to get where we wanted to go, avoiding crevasses along the way, so our best bet was to step exactly where he stepped. Literally mimicking his every move. If we stayed with him, we were going to spend a day enjoying something we’d never experienced and seeing beauty we can’t see in NC. It didn’t occur to us to roam off on our own. When he told us to pause and stay put while he scoped out the path ahead, we didn’t move an inch! Not a one of us asked to take a turn at the helm.
That’s what it means to be a follower…the good kind, not the kind who jumps off bridges.
A follower of Jesus understands that navigating this life is a bit like glacier trekking. It is slippery, the conditions are constantly changing, and there are crevasses everywhere. We wouldn’t attempt a glacier trek without a guide. We understand the danger and rightly assess our lack of skill. But in life, we are more confident. Or maybe just stubborn. We don’t always want to place our feet where Jesus has placed His. We often wander off on our own and often try to take the lead. We tell ourselves we know the way and don’t need a guide; that we’ll get to see and experience more if we chart our own course.
When Jesus called His disciples and when He calls each of us, this is His invitation. He asks us to walk closely behind Him, stepping exactly where He steps, allowing Him to lead. You can’t beat the view from His vantage point and avoiding the crevasses is pretty nice too…
~ Melissa Gibbs has been a member of LIFE Fellowship for over 10 years, is the mother to four boys and widow of the late JD Gibbs. She also is a founding board member of Ambassador Christian School.