Imagine sailing on a three year cruise that would take you around the world visiting 135 countries and 375 ports of call. The round price of $85,000 per person would include all meals, lodging, drinks, Wi-Fi and more. Such a cruise was indeed planned to set sail last November from Istanbul, Turkey offering passengers an extended pleasure-filled experience.
Some individuals sold their homes to participate and one woman even sold all of her furniture and clothes as well. Imagine their surprise and anxiety when the company cancelled the trip just days before departure. Some passengers weren’t even officially notified until after they were in Turkey to board the ship.
Apparently, to cruise the oceans, one needs a ship and the company was unable to secure one for this adventure. Their plans fell through at the last minute forcing the cancellation and creating not just inconvenience but much anger among those who had made major arrangements to sail along.
Anyone who has traveled has likely encountered a rescheduled flight and a botched reservation. I know how disappointed Nancy and I were when our trip to Israel leading several other participants was canceled four days before departure in 2020 due to COVID. I can only imagine the nightmare for folks who sold all they had for a three year adventure-turned-nightmare.
Thankfully, we never have to worry about Jesus cancelling our future with Him. When He called His first disciples from the Galilean waves, Luke says they left everything to follow Him. In addition to their nets and boats, they had just caught what was probably their largest catch ever.
For three years they followed Him all over Judea, Galilee and even Samaria. They learned from the best Teacher ever and were privileged to witness His incredible miracles.
But imagine what they thought when He was hanging on the cross. Suddenly, everything they had left to follow Jesus seemed lost. It appeared they had made the biggest mistake of their lives by forfeiting their careers, their assets, and their own plans to follow this lifeless Rabbi.
As Jesus lay in His borrowed tomb, they had to be questioning why they had been taken in and what their future would now hold. Would they be crucified next? Would they become the laughingstocks of all Israel? How could they have fallen for such a ruse?
And then came Resurrection Morning! After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples over the next forty days with such obvious and convincing proof that they had no doubts regarding His identity. Their mourning, regret, and frustration were turned to great joy as they realized their decisions to leave all were worth it all!
Thankfully, the tour company that sold these three year cruises has promised to refund all money to the passengers over the coming months. While that restores them financially, it does nothing to repurchase homes or recreate lives that had already been left behind.
If we’re going to make sacrifices in our lives and depend on certain teachers and teachings, we’d better research their validity and be sure they can deliver what they promise. If we’re going to leave old ways, past habits, and thought patterns for new ones, we’d better do our homework first. The last thing we would want is to get hung out to dry by what we’ve bought into.
In Mark 10:29-31, Jesus promised that no one who leaves home or family or business for Him will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age and eternal life in the age to come. When you surrender everything to follow Jesus, He will not cancel you!
If you are planning a cruise for later this year, be sure to check out the company involved as well as its cancellation policies. Even more importantly, rest assured that Jesus will deliver what He has promised! Blessings, George