An Invitation To Read My Story - My Testimony

Leaving All Behind:
The Call to Follow Jesus

In Luke 5:27-32, we encounter a pivotal moment when Jesus approaches Levi, a tax collector, with a simple yet profound invitation: "Follow me." What happens next is remarkable - Levi "left everything behind, got up and followed him."

This passage cuts to the heart of discipleship. Levi doesn't hesitate or negotiate terms. He doesn't ask to finish his current tax collection or secure his finances first. He simply leaves everything and follows Christ. This radical response challenges us to examine our own attachments.

What do I need to leave behind this Lent to follow Jesus more closely?

Perhaps it's material possessions, maybe even your bank account, that have subtly become idols in my life. What consumes you? Our homes and closets often overflow with items we don't need, yet we cling to them for security or status. Do my possessions own me rather than the other way around? The accumulation of stuff can weigh down our spirits and divide our attention from what truly matters.

But sometimes what we need to leave behind isn't physical at all. Maybe it's pride that keeps me from serving others as Jesus did. Perhaps it's comfort that prevents me from reaching out to others as Jesus reached out to Levi. It might be fear that stops me from living generously, or worldly ambitions (success) that consume my energy and focus. Some people only focus on the wealth, and disregard everything else in their lives. Their money is their god.

The feast that follows Levi's calling is equally instructive. Jesus dines with "tax collectors and sinners" despite criticism from religious leaders. He responds, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

This Lenten Season invites us to recognize our own spiritual sickness - our attachments, our sins, our need for the Divine Physician. We're called to humble ourselves like those tax collectors at the table, acknowledging our need for healing and transformation.

The path of following Christ begins with leaving something behind. What is the Lord asking you to release today, so your hands might be free to grasp His? What attachments - whether material possessions, harmful relationships, or interior obstacles - are keeping you from responding wholeheartedly to His invitation? 

If we are to be like Jesus, we must keep in mind that when we take our final breathe here on earth, everything that is here, remains here. You could have millions upon millions of dollars, be famous and loved by everyone. Yes, you could have been greatly blessed by God in your life, while many around you barely got by. I believe if we are to be like Jesus, our judgment will be: What did you do with the blessing I gave you? If pride and selfishness reigned in your life and it was all about you, you could have a problem. But if you blessed many with money, food, your time, kindness and compassion for others, and you lived humbly before the Lord, putting Jesus and others before yourself, that is a good thing.. God knows our hearts, our real motivations, our inner reasons for why we do what we do. Keep that in mind.

As we journey through Lent, let us pray for the grace to hear Christ's call and respond with Levi's wholehearted abandonment, leaving all to follow Him.

©2025 James Dacey Jr.