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When
I was a child, we used to play the familiar game called
“Follow the Leader.” Of course, almost everyone wanted to
be the leader. It would turn out to be a battle, but the
oldest or loudest would be the leader. It was always funny
when someone we did not like following would begin to lead in
the game, and someone would say, “Let’s play something
else.” And most of the time we did play something else.
These were some of my formative years of learning what a
leader and follower were. Well, as we got older, that was no
longer the case. We learned that we did not always have the
choice to be either a leader or follower.
Growing
up, I was one of the only Asian kids at William Beaumont
Elementary School in Waterford. I was a follower, which was
alright for me. But I remember when things with my elementary
friends began to change. While they still wanted to play King
of the Hill, marbles, and skip rope (yes skip rope, and yes, I
can skip double-Dutch), I began playing more and more sports.
And when we started middle school, I played every sport
possible. In some sports, I was good enough to join the school
teams. Some of my closest friends did not make or want to join
the teams. It was weird that many years later, I looked back
and realized that I had been the one who changed the most. I
remembered sitting in the “A” Lunch Room where the jocks
and popular people sat while everyone else sat in the “B”
Lunch Room. At least that is how I remember it. I did visit
them occasionally and invite them over, but they would refuse.
So, I would eat with them sometimes. But that became less and
less frequent. I just kind of forgot about them. I know
friends come and go as we grow and change, but one friend I
regret leaving. I
felt regret because I felt as though I left him behind. I
still keep in touch him. I am glad that we are still friends.
But I look back and understand that many times I was only
following the crowd.
Whose
lead was I following? Well, I thought that I was just doing
what I had to do, and I couldn’t help that. But I look back
and see that I was mainly following myself. Not only myself,
but the popular crowd as well. Looking at my life today, I see
that I have to check on a regular basis who I am following. Is
it the crowd that seems to be having the most fun without
being caught? Is there something else?
I
want to make it clear that we are to have interests, groups
with which we are associated like Youth Fellowship, Boy
Scouts, sport teams, debate, science, and others such as
speech and writing. But I ask you, who is at the center of it
all?
Jesus
Christ did not follow himself. He followed what his Heavenly
Father planned for him. We read what Jesus said in tonight’s
scripture reading: “As the Father has loved me, so I have
loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commands, you will
abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s
commandments and abide in his love.” Jesus seemed to be
doing his own thing on earth, but he always pointed to his
Heavenly Father.
As
Christians, we are called to follow Jesus’ lead. His command
is to love others as he loves us. What does this mean for us?
I want to share with you a little more from my experiences,
not only for you to get to know me a little more, but also for
you to relate what I say to your lives, especially in how you
treat and love others.
While
still a youth, I liked making fun of other kids. I did it
because I could. I did it because I found I was pretty good at
it. So good, I could even make some of the boys cry. Almost
everyone found it so funny, except the one I was making fun
of, of course. Why did I really do it? Well, there were
several reasons. Growing up, people made fun of me. They had
made me the butt of so many jokes, and just made fun of me.
So, I thought I’d get back at them by making fun of them
while having a good time with anyone in ear’s distance. In
high school I toned it down because I had gone to three
different schools before graduating. But I still was able to
whip the joke, cut-downs and hurtful words that seemed so
funny at the time. The day I stopped doing that, I mean
intentionally saying things to hurt others, was in my
sophomore year. I made a good friend cry, even though I
didn’t think it was a big deal. It was at church, in fact.
Well, something happened to me. I was a youth group leader,
and I realized that people were following my example of trying
to be funny while hurting people.
Those of you in this room and those of you from our
Youth Encounter Weekend may relate well to what I’m talking
about.
I
found out that my identity was not to be in trying to be the
funniest, strongest, most athletic or smartest. My identity
was to be in being a follower of Christ first. I have to
admit, it was hard to change. And sometimes, though I am much
better at it now, I make fun of some of you and myself with
the purpose of making things real and not trying to be
something we’re not.
When
we try to be something we are not, and when we try to follow
the wrong “leaders” in our life, we often get lost. Christ
being our ultimate leader, we need to learn to follow the lead
of those Christ has put into our lives. That includes our
parents, grandparents, teachers, leaders, coaches and pastors.
How you choose to follow them is very important. Christ is our
ultimate leader since he is perfect, and perfectly loves us.
All others are to be respected and loved with an understanding
that none of us is perfect.
When
we don’t choose to follow anyone, and when we hang on the
fence, things can get difficult and even painful. My mother
told me that when I was about two years old and was left at
home with my grandmother in Korea, I had a dangerous accident.
My grandmother was cooking a Korean dish, and it was boiling
on the floor. I was bored, and as almost any kid would do, I
made the boiling water a game. I played with the thought of
jumping over the boiling pot, and I chanted, “Go or not go?
Go or not go?” In Korean it’s pronounced, as best as I can
say it, “Kalka? Malka? Kalka? Malka?” Well, you could
imagine my grandmother was furious, working on dinner and
house business while I was playing. She kept telling me to
stop playing around and not jump. Well, I’d go away, and
then come back again. And when I thought she was not looking
(and this is how my grandmother and mother described it), I
jumped but did not make a definite decision whether I should
really jump or not. Well, though I’m quite athletic now, I
wasn’t then. I should have jumped all the way. I didn’t,
and I paid dearly for it.
In fact, it almost cost me my life. That was the second
time I almost lost my life as a child. I’ll tell you the
other story some other time. How do you like that teaser?
We
have so many people, places and ideas to follow. We are so
blessed to have people in our lives that show us God’s love.
Take a look around right now. We are to follow their example
as they follow Christ’s example.
I
had mentioned being lost if you do not have someone as your
leader. Well, most of us have experienced being lost while
driving or being in a car or bus or the Endowment Express. If
you did not know, I have my Commercial Driver’s License, and
I drive the Endowment Express. I have to say that the CDL
tests were harder than most of the engineering courses I took.
Well, back to the point. Now, I believe that I’m getting a
reputation with the youth group that I’m not the best driver
when it comes to directions. I will dare not use this pulpit
to defend myself. But what I will say is that my wife, Jamie,
would agree that I do get lost once in a while. But if you ask
her if I stop to ask directions or call before hours go by and
we’ve toured all of southeastern Michigan, she would say I
usually do. Right, honey? I won’t discuss this matter much
more. But it is amazing how much time and energy, plus
unnecessary frustration and embarrassment, we can save
ourselves if we have clear directions with us when traveling
on the road and in our lives.
In
our Christian walk, it is sort of the same. What directions or
leaders do you have? Who are you following? When things are so
confusing and there are no signs or directions to follow,
isn’t it amazingly comforting to be with someone who can
take care of things even when feeling lost?
Jesus Christ, our leader, is that perfect leader. And
God provides, and I am going to emphasize this over and over
again, people in our lives to be living examples of that kind
of love and comfort. You (pointing to the youth) are examples.
You saw the children up here during the children’s moment;
you are their examples of Christ’s love for them. They
experience God’s love through you.
What
is Christ’s command for us? As we choose to follow Jesus, we
are choosing a life that is devoted to loving God with all we
are and all we have, and to love others as He has loved us.
Okay.
One more story from my life. It was during my second year in
Engineering School at GMI Engineering and Management Institute
that I discovered that I had a passion for ministry, youth
ministry to be specific. I prayed for three months every day
for about an hour, trying to find out what God’s will was,
what the “right” thing was to do: full-time as an engineer
and part-time in ministry, or full-time minister and part-time
psuedo-McGyver, Pretender? I wanted to love God and to abide
in Him by being what God created me to be.
I
do know how great it is to have those with full-time jobs who
also volunteer and lead. If fact, none of the ministries could
happen without you and those who get involved.
So,
in my creative and desperate state, since I felt this tension
in me growing, I decided to ask God for signs and directions
for certain decisions. I decided to take more time for
schooling and at work to have more time to decide. If my
school and work would have allowed me to do that, I believed
that it was God’s sign for me to pursue a degree in
engineering and be in ministry part-time. Both my school and
work agreed, and I thought that settled it. But in the days to
follow I felt this feeling way down in my gut that I had made
the wrong decision and followed a process that was set-up by
me, which wasn’t all that great when it came to throwing
“lots” and asking for God’s response. It seemed to work
in the Bible, but I found out it does not work all the time.
I
transferred colleges, switched majors, and began getting more
involved and dedicated in youth ministry. I did this to “try
it out” and see if it was the right answer. If not, then I
only wasted time, but found what I was looking for. Actually,
I found that the path was leading me to follow God. God showed
me through my struggles, looking back and seeing how miserable
I was in engineering school. I did not realize it at the time.
But it took God’s gentle touch and for me to struggle as
hard as I did to bring me to the place I am right now.
Through
time, talking with friends, peers, ministers and even some
strangers, I discovered that God was calling me to full-time
ministry. Did I know what the process was? No. Did I know how
things would end up when I began? No. But what I did know was
that in trying to find God’s will, seeking to love Him and
others, I did find that I was following God’s lead and love.
I learned that even in uncertain circumstances, I would
follow God anywhere and any time, knowing God would take care
of everything. That does not mean we do not have troubles or
times when we go into the valley of the shadow of death. But
even in those times there is a peace that transcends all
understanding.
You
know the familiar verse, Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto
you.” In anything we seek, when we go to God in pursuing
anything in our lives, we can trust in God that when we take
steps, even when unsure and shaky, even then we can find peace
in knowing God is leading us. Though God may command us to
love, our desires and efforts to seek God’s direction and
lead is part of our act of loving God. We are to go to God and
ask for guidance, guidance to steer the right way, guidance to
turn from a misplaced step, and guidance to focus on the
loving rather than the steps. This is not easy at times. Who
else would we want to follow? God will lead you in God’s
will, and God’s will is best for you.
There
is so much joy and love in my heart when I realize that Jesus
is my ultimate leader. I still play the game of Follow the
Leader at times. But it’s no longer a game. I have followed
the lead of my grandmother, my parents, some of closest
friends, coaches, teachers and the ministers in my life who
taught me by word and example what it is to follow Christ’s
lead.
Take
at look at your life, and ask yourself, “Am I following
God’s lead?” God is always there, holding you even when
you let go, even when you stray. But how much greater is the
feeling and experience of God’s love in your life when you
choose to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first. We
still know who God made us to be. Some of you are exceptional
at doing what you do and in being the person you are because
you’ve become confident and free to be who God made you and
who God is making you. When we do that, the love of God can
flourish. Jesus
told us to love as he loved so that his will is done in our
lives and in this world. And part of his will is to make our
joy complete in him. To be loved and to love as Christ has
loved is our command. Of all the commandments, how wonderful
those commandments are!
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