A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to travel with four friends to Southern Utah and spend the week canyoneering (i.e. hiking and climbing through canyons). It was an absolutely incredible time spent with some good friends all in a gorgeous, remote and very unique area of the country. If you aren't familiar with slot canyons, they are huge chasms in the earth that have been carved out over thousands of years due to wind and water. In order to get through these canyons, you must sometimes rappel down 50-100 foot drops deeper into the canyon, and have to climb and squeeze through very tight sections of rock.
This being my second year doing this trip, I was excited to pick up where I left off in my experience with canyons. While processing an experience that definitely stretched my comfort levels last year, I began to compare following Jesus with canyoneering. The idea behind this comparison is that once we start on a journey following Jesus, we have two choices: we can stop where we are, or we can continue (even though we are not sure what is around the next bend). In order to continue through the canyon, we must trust that the next portion of the canyon will be passable. I think that this is often how it feels to follow Jesus. We are on a beautiful and terrific path, and we must trust that God has a plan and will not test us with something that we cannot overcome (with His help, of course).
Upon returning from my trip this year, I was studying Jesus' teaching on the requirements of being His disciple in Luke 14:25-35. This passage convicted me, and showed me the difference between being a mere follower of Jesus, and being one of His disciples. Being a follower is not as big of a commitment as being a disciple is. Being a disciple of Jesus is being a student of Him - actively learning what it means to deny yourself, give up everything you have, and prioritize Jesus first in your life - with the intention of becoming more like Christ every day.
I was happy when I realized that my canyon metaphor could also work for contrasting following Jesus with being His disciple. In order to safely rappel in a canyon, you need to know how to tie knots, build and secure an anchor, and prepare the rope correctly for the task at hand. This year, I had to choose between learning how to do these things from my experienced climbing friends, or to sit and relax while they worked on setting up the rappel. Obviously, the former of these two options is smarter and more beneficial.
In order to learn, we need to make an active effort! It is not a passive process. Whether we are learning how to set up a rappel in a canyon or how to be a disciple of Jesus...it requires a concerted effort. If we are putting a concerted effort into being a student of Jesus, we can ask Him to help us, and He will!
