"follow me"

Sometimes God tells you to go North. So you go North. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's hard, but you keep going and persevering because you know God told you to go. That's all well and good.

But just because God initially told you to go North - does that mean that North is your final destination? Who's to say at some point, after you've gone North for awhile, that He won't tell you to go East?

Does it mean that He changed His mind? Or does it mean that if he had initially told you to go Northeast, you wouldn't have gone? Or did you have to go North to get to the place you needed to be to go East?

I think that God withholds information from us because we just can't handle the big picture. I mean, even in chunks it's hard to take sometimes. It makes me think of the life of Peter and how many times he missed the point, even when he was with Jesus. He's the one who protested in having his feet washed, the one who insisted that suffering would never happen to Jesus, the one who cut off Malchus's ear and was rebuked when he thought he was being brave and standing up for Jesus...

But somehow despite - and perhaps through - all of these failures, his character developed into one that was finally able to hear direction that wasn't easy, and strong enough to follow it.

15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

17The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

18Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

I think following comes down to 2 things: discernment and obedience. Discernment is the ability to hear the direction. Obedience is having the courage and faith to stay or go. Discernment without obedience is like Jonah with Ninevah, or Simba with High Rock - it's just running away from your calling out of fear. But can you have obedience without discernment?

When you've been so single-minded in going North, what if the call changed to go East before you reached your destination? And whichever the call - do I have the perseverance to continue and/or the courage to change course?