“One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ And they left their nets at once and followed him.
A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.” –Matthew 4:19-22 (Emphasis mine)
It’s a familiar story.
I’ve read the verses many, many times.
But then I read them one more time and suddenly it hit me differently.
It’s not that I saw something different–it’s that I felt something different.
And what I felt when I recently reread these familiar verses is simple–I felt longing.
I felt a longing to return to simplicity.
I felt a longing to return to the simplicity of simply following Him …
Wherever He goes.
Whenever He calls.
Whatever it costs.
Whatever needs to be left behind.
With no agenda.
With no higher priority.
With no excuses.
But I also felt something else …
I felt hope.
Because when He does call.
When He beckons.
When He draws you to Himself.
There is always grace to act on His words.
So that’s what I’m going to do.
I’m going to watch.
I’m going to wait.
I’m going to listen.
And when He does call again (and He always does) …
I’m going to simply follow.
What about you?
Is it time to return to simplicity?
Is it time to return to the simplicity of simply following Him?
Cindy Powell 
Yes. Thank you. How do you, in particular, listen? How do you hear?
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Too many ways to express in a comment … and always changing! (Maybe I will tackle that in another blog post?) However, since I tend to be simple and also rather contemplative in nature, my most frequent and simplest answer would be that I ask (and keep asking) Him to make me more aware of what He is saying and how. Then, of course, I also take the time listen. For me that involves times of worship and communion simply for the sake of being with Him (not to get answers), stillness, and meditating on Scripture. Not sure if that is helpful? A practical book my son found helpful is “Dialogue with God” by Mark Virkler. Blessings to you as you follow!
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This is excellent, and yes, please consider a post. I am simple, but also a bit concrete (don’t know if that means I’m solid or just hard-headed, but you get the point.) I love others’ strategies and practical applications. Many thanks.
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Listen and follow…beautifully simple! Love it.
Btw, on your comment to dawnlizjones, yes, Mark Virkler has awesome stuff on hearing God. He actually has online classes, books, videos, and even an online college based on this (Communion with God Ministries). Very practical and effective.
Blessings.
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It is beautifully simple, isn’t it? We’re the ones who complicate things. And yeah, Mark Virkler has a lot of good stuff. He is really good at translating the abstract for those who are hard-wired with a more linear way of thinking–so are you! 🙂
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Reblogged this on That Tiny Pea.
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Thanks for the reblog 😊 Blessings to you!
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Cindy, That’s what I’m doing these days …simply following…sometimes waiting in between for the next step, but always staying close to Jesus. There’s no other place I’d rather be!
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Missed this earlier -good to hear from you Glenda 😊 I agree – simply following and staying close is the best! Blessings to you!
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