Involvement precedes interest. Before a deep and genuine
interest can be generated, we must risk at least a minimum
degree of involvement. Waiting for the mood to strike
us before we take the first critical steps toward discipleship
may mean a lifetime of boredom and wasted opportunities.
The first son initially says no to discipleship’s call.
The mood does not strike him. He is disinterested. Later,
he repents. Perhaps the mood still does not strike him, but
he feels he should do it whether he feels like it or not. He
gets involved, and interest develops later. His feelings and
moods follow from his actions.
John Wesley wrote that he went “reluctantly” to a
meeting on Aldersgate Street. He did not let his mood and
feelings dictate his actions. He acted his way into feeling.
He responded to the concrete moment, and his emotions
followed later.
How often do we turn away from discipleship’s opportunities
because we just don’t feel like getting involved?
How often have we reluctantly said yes only to discover
later how important such an activity was to us?
By Thomas R. Hawkins from the Upper Room: 60 Days of Prayer for General Conference 2016