Gillian Marchenko

An important reminder from our daughter

Years ago, my husband Sergei preached a sermon about following Jesus (OK, all of Sergei’s sermons are about following Jesus. But this one stuck out to me).

He said that a lot of us tend to follow Christ to get something out of it. We follow Jesus the life coach or Jesus the marriage counselor, or Jesus the CEO. But when God calls us to follow him, it’s not for our own glory but for his.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. – Luke 9:23

We are asked to follow, not lead, and to be fine with wherever Jesus takes us, as long as it’s with him.

Then Sergei used our kids as an example.

Often times when he runs errands, he takes a kid or two with him. Our oldest daughters, Elaina and Zoya, usually want details. “Where are we going? Is there a chance I can get some gum?” And after receiving the facts they decide whether or not they went to go. But Polly, our third daughter with Down syndrome and Moyamoya disease is always ready to go without question.

“Polly, you want to go with Papa?”

“Yes! Go with Papa! Yeah!” and she runs and gets her shoes.

Polly’s always ready to go with her father because she trusts him. She wants to be with him. She loves him.

Most of the time, Sergei is taking Polly to the grocery store or to drop off books at the library. But there have been times when he has taken her to the doctor for a shot, or even to the hospital for brain surgery. And still, when he asks his little girl if she wants to go with him, he receives a resounding yes.

“That’s how we should be with God,” Sergei said. “Whenever he asks us to go somewhere, regardless of the destination, we should answer with a resounding yes, and run and get our shoes.”

Life is bumpy. There will be more trials and struggles. But my prayer is that I will gather up my family and move closer to God in those times like the Psalmist tells us to do in Psalm 84. My prayer is that with each new day, I will trust him more and more, and that when he asks me to go somewhere I’m unsure of, I will run and get my shoes.

The Lord is great and faithful and trustworthy. Let’s be careful not to come to him for handouts, but rather, come to him in awe and appreciation of the Almighty God that he is.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6