Who do you follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter? I follow a host of other writers, parents of kids with Down syndrome and other disabilities, social justice activists, and people of faith who help me think about cultivating our spiritual lives in the midst of a world focused on materialism and entertainment.

In addition to following people on social media, I also follow people when I literally walk (or drive) behind them and go with them where they are going. These different types of following have made me reflect on what Jesus meant when he invited people to follow him. He was inviting them in both senses of the word: inviting them to pay attention to what he was doing and also inviting them to walk the path he walked. 

Jesus offered a way of compassion and simplicity and peace. He taught and lived a way of connection to self, to God, and to others. He explained that walking with God is not a way of proving yourself or earning your worth. Rather, it is a way of blessing. It is a way of love. 

Jesus is still offering us an invitation to follow him. Paying attention to his words and life and teaching together gives us a chance to consider whether we want to walk with him on the path that he said was the way to a life of love and purpose and blessing. He called this life, “life to the full” (John 10:10). 

What does it looks like to live this full life, this life of blessing, as we follow Jesus on the way?