Discipleship (Part 2)

Before we get into the fruits of discipleship, I want to quickly identify the beneficiaries of those fruits. We model our lives on Jesus so that we can better love other people. But while we all called to love all people, we are not called to love everyone in a generic sort of way. The love of Jesus is expressed directly, personally, and tangibly.

As good as it is to donate to charities and tithe to the Church—and we’ll certainly talk about the financial aspects of discipleship!—these do not and cannot replace the concrete acts of love that we offer to those around us. And the key is really “around us.”

While some few among us do have callings to great missionary works in distant locales, most of us don’t. Instead, we have a calling to love and serve the people already present in our lives.

Of course, the people we have around us are often the people we are least interested in loving. Sayings like “familiarity breeds contempt” and “absence makes the heart grow fonder” ring true for a reason. It’s always easier to imagine that some hypothetical person we have yet to meet will be easier to love than our annoying coworker in the cubicle across from us or the neighbor who can’t keep control of his backyard. (To my neighbors: I’m really sorry.)

Whenever we get a close-up view of people, we invariably pick up on their failings far more than we do with some random guy we pass in the street. Yet these are the people God has given us to love in this moment. This is our mission field.

Challenge: Think of someone who is a regular part of your life, but you would rather they not be (like a coworker, neighbor, or family member). Commit to praying for that person at least once a day until Thanksgiving.