Are you ready for the chase?

Does anyone remember chasing the ice-cream truck as a kid? Ah man! Maybe you were in the house cleaning up or doing some chore that you had forgotten to do and waited till the last minute to get it done. Or maybe you were in the park or on the street playing with your friends when you heard that chime, that heart stirring music playing two three blocks away. Whatever it was that you were doing became suspended in time as you gathered your mental bearing and dropped whatever you were doing to go and get your money to buy your favorite treat.

For some people, looking for their money in that "secret" hiding place was a challenge because they had to dig through books, old clothes, lift up the bed, just to name a few spot where our deposit was safe and secure. For others borrowing money (begging and squirming for some people) from a parent or a relative that was home, and getting it in a timely manner was crucial because without them, buying our favorite treat would have been down right impossible.......if we were able to catch the ice cream man before he drove off.

The ice cream man driving off was one of the worst things that could happen to anyone who was determined to get a treat. However, it is this careless abandon to accomplish the goal of buying a treat from the ice cream truck that so mirrors what Jesus said to his disciples. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me". The phrase "come after me" implies a chase. It is abandoning or leaving behind everything that previously captivated one's attention. It is going to great lengths to do what it takes in order to achieve the desired goal. It is a commitment, a dedication, a "no matter what" kind of attitude.

I remember with much laughter some of my friends who were at various times in this very predicament. I delighted with uncontrollable glee to see one of them rushing out of the house, trying to get that jammed screen door open and taking off, running down the street, chasing the ice cream truck; only to see the driver coming to a halt and my friend gasping for air and trying to catch their breath. Following Jesus requires commitment, dedication and careless abandon. Are you ready for the chase?

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.