WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING?

A couple of weeks ago, when I was attending the United Methodist Course of Study at Emory University, I had an experience that caused me to think about the leaders that we follow.

Atlanta had just been hit by the remnants of a hurricane and had experienced massive amounts of rainfall. The ground was saturated, and lots of trees had fallen across roads and homes because the water-saturated soil could not hold the roots of the trees steady. As I was trying to drive to a Christian bookstore, we were stopped in our travels because a massive oak tree had fallen across the road in front of us.

The police motioned for us to take a detour into a neighborhood to go around the tree. The problem was --- there were no detour signs and no one to guide us to where we wanted to go. Just a line of cars meandering through this neighborhood. But then, one driver ahead of me caught my attention. It was obvious he knew where he was going by the way he drove throught the neighborhood. "Aha," I thought. "Here's someone who can lead me out of this mess."

So, I fell right in behind him and followed him. When he turned on his blinker to turn left, so did I. When he turned, I turned. When he went straight, I followed. I looked behind me and we had a string of cars following. At last, the lost had found a shepherd to lead them home. And to home he did lead -- his home! In fact, he lived in the neighborhood, and we followed him right up to his drive on a cul-de-sac and watched as he got out of his van and walked up the drive and into his house! Ten vehicles were now trapped on this narrow street and had to turn around and retrace our path and pray we could find our way back out.

As I was trying to find my way out, it struck me how so like our lives that little drive was. We wander through life looking for direction, looking for salvation. We know we need a leader, someone who has been there before who can lead us and guide us in our path. And so, when someone shows up who seems to know what they're talking about, we jump right on his bandwagon and follow his lead, without once thinking that perhaps he is leading the wrong direction, without considering where we might be going. We tell ourselves, "But he's a pastor (or president or congressman or bishop or whatever else fits the blank). He knows where he's going. I need to follow him." And, by blindly following others, we can find ourselves being led down paths we shouldn't enter.

Which brings me to my question: Who are you following? And, do you know where they are leading you?