First Day of School

"Hi, my name is Jesus and I will be your teacher." Jesus

My name is Jen and I am 44 years old.  I am a wife and a mom of a 24 year old young man and a 12 year old girl. I signed up to to be homeschooled by Jesus about 15 years ago. Before then, I had a knowledge of God and Jesus and read my bible, but I never knew what it meant to actually walk as a disciple of Christ. When I began my journey of following Him, I was somewhat reluctant, so I asked God for 3 bold confirmations to leave my job and become a stay at home mom. Jesus was so gracious to give them to me in ways that I could not deny were from Him, so I left my lucrative job and health insurance benefits in the mortgage world to become a stay at home mom. It was something I never thought I could do. Please hear me. I am not saying your first step to following Jesus means leaving your job to become a stay at home mom or dad. It just happened to be my first step of stepping away from something that had a tighter grip on me than Jesus.

I would love to say that after that first step, I found myself scaling the great walls of China taking Bibles to underground churches or sleeping in huts in Africa feeding orphans, but that was not what happened. It was more like an amusement park log ride in water. It was that drop at the end of the ride. It was scary and exhilarating all at the same time, but it was also the end of that part of this ride. The next few years had me living a pretty normal life of a stay at home mom. I worked out, got a new puppy, remodeled the home, picked up my son from school and actually made home cooked meals for my husband and family.

After a few years, the season slowly began to change. The road became more interesting. It began to take me down some darker paths that slapped me in the face, not just once, but continuously.  I began to be stripped of anything worldly in my possession, including every human relationship that ever meant anything to me. The more I tried to hold onto those relationships as they were becoming unglued from me, the more I felt an excruciating pain. Then one day, I could not hold on anymore. I let go. Instantly, I felt freer than I had ever felt in my life. I felt liberated to go wherever He led, whenever He led. The fear had dissipated. There was nothing to lose after letting go of what felt like everything to me.

I remember the boldness that I had, the passion and fire to jump off a bridge or camp out in the jungles of Africa all in the name of Jesus. Send me Lord! Send me! This was my heart's cry as I believed there was nothing more enthralling than being in full swing for Him. This was my new life.

Now, the next step was all I needed to take. The next step eventually led to the next one and so on. After I moved forward it eventually seemed to make sense. I would begin to see connections that were placed there only by divine intervention. It was exciting! My relationship with Jesus was intimate. He was my everything and He was enough. However, the more I followed, the more I realized my journey was not just about stepping into the next ordained place for me to be, but it was laced with experiencing Jesus and identifying with some of the ways He suffered here on earth. I began to know Jesus in ways I never knew Him. I began to experience His extraordinary love and grace that covered me ever so deeply.

Before you commit to reading further, I want to prepare you for some truth that may come from this blog that you may not be ready for and that is okay. Some of us are at different places in our walk with Jesus and no one is right or wrong for it. This is like the parental guidance warning. You have to go to kindergarten before you go to first grade. Some of what I share with you in this blog may not make sense depending on where you are on your journey. For example, if you believe your best life is focused on driving your dream car or living in a 10,000 square foot home, you may need to find a new blog to read. I have found my best life is one where I lay it all down and walk freely in the direction of following Jesus. It's where you take up your cross, let go of the pleasures of the world, and indulge in the pleasures of Jesus. I am not saying following Jesus looks like living on the streets of a 3rd world country. It actually may include your favorite cup of coffee or driving a nice car and living in a fancy home. I can assure you that if you are on a path to follow Jesus, there will be a God-ordained purpose that goes beyond checking off your personal goal list and you may find yourself in places and spaces that are uncomfortable for you.

If you are still reading, I invite you on this journey with me. I am not writing as an expert. I am writing as someone on this journey as a lifelong student of following Jesus and sharing with you the things I learned and am learning along the way. There will be plenty of Peter follies, Jonah runaways, and sitting at the feet of Jesus wiping His feet with my tears. I believe as a disciple of Christ, we are called to make disciples. Basically, I am a student of Jesus sharing what I learn and doing life with other students. So I invite you not just to read this blog as I feel led to post, but to take the next step of being encouraged to follow Jesus wherever and whenever He may lead.

"Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

I pray I may continue to follow Him strong and it encourages you to join me.

Geronimo!!!