Who Will You Follow?

Eager to find out why my fellow coffee shop patron welcomed a homeless man last Friday into our local Starbucks I sat down next to Bill for the rest of his story. He had mentioned he once was homeless at the age of fourteen. I discovered over a latte that he lived in a car behind a gas station where he worked for a year and a half when his parents abandoned him and his three siblings. Bill’s alcoholic father chose to continue drinking and go down the road of homelessness for fifteen years. Bill’s mother chose to run off to another state with another man. All four children took different paths.

For Bill, God used a disabled woman to speak words of truth into his life at the early age of thirteen, while this same woman provided help for Bill’s older sister who went through rehab. Later God provided a business man who hired Bill to work construction. He allowed Bill to study for two hours during lunch breaks to prepare for the exam to obtain the equivalency of a high school diploma. Bill’s hard work and aligning himself with people he respected equipped him to take the steps to get a higher education. Over the years he has owned and sold several businesses. As a committed father and husband he chose a higher road.

Daily we have a choice to make. Who will we follow? We can choose to follow the negative aspects of our parents. Or we can choose to follow the path our friend's are making. Or we can align ourselves with someone who has godly character, is anointed by God, and who bases their decisions off of what God says. That person may not have all the material riches in his or her life, but you can see that person has the peace, strength, integrity, wisdom, and loving kindness of a successful life through a relationship with the living God.

Who are you following? Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life," (John 8:12). Do you need to realign yourself with those who are heading toward the light away from the darkness of this evil world? Take steps in the right direction. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Only through me can you come to the Father.”