At once they left their nets and followed Him [Jesus] (Matthew 4:20).
Call necessarily elicits response.
When something or someone piques our interest, a choice immediately is before us: either to draw closer and learn more about what is intriguing or to turn from it and go a different way.
Remember: not responding or postponing until it is more convenient or comfortable actually are ways of responding.
Like a meaningful friendship, following Jesus involves getting to know Him. We best do this by drawing closer and spending time together with Him.
To often we make it so much harder than it has to be. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus, is quite helpful. By her own example we learn that a personal response to the call of Christ happens precisely in our ordinary experience. It is neither about scaling mountains nor traversing seas! Instead, Jesus is honored – or dishonored – by how we treat our neighbors. Heeding Christ’s call and following Him are displayed through our interactions with others to the degree we dare to do for them little things with great love.
