Turning Loose

One of the things with which we are always confronted when encountering Jesus is the turning loose.  Andrew's encounter with Jesus came at the prompting of his spiritual mentor, John the Baptist.   Spiritual mentors are trusted people in our lives.  They provide for us a sense of security.  They are trusted to pray for us, to encourage us to walk where we might not otherwise walk, to be a kind of spiritual safety net.  When John pointed Andrew toward Jesus, Andrew had to turn loose of the person of spiritual influence upon whom he was building his relationship with God. 

Sometimes as we go along, we discover that some person's influence may be too important for us in that we depend on it so much that we cannot really depend on Christ and what may be His radical leadership.  There have been times when it seems that it has been necessary for God to take us out from under the influence of some spiritual mentor in order for us to learn what it really means to walk with nothing but faith in Him.  It is never an easy moment for us to turn loose of someone who has been there for us and without whom we do not think we will be able to make it, but we are often brought to such moments, nonetheless.

There does not seem to be any hesitation on the part of the two disciples of John the Baptist when their spiritual mentor said, "Go," but any departure from what has become comfortable in our spiritual lives is always a hard thing that most us do only when we are pushed into making that step.  One thing is certain.  If we are intentional about walking forward in a deeper relationship with God, we will be asked to turn loose of everything that is more important to us than God.  It is not always about giving up things.  Sometimes it is about giving up people.  Important people.  People without whom we do not think we can make it.  Faith.  Trust.  But, only in God.