Folliowing Jesus without an Escape Clause
Following Jesus Without an Escape Clause
Years ago, on a family trip to Silver Dollar City, we watched the Flying Wallendas perform high above the ground on a wire that looked far too thin to hold everything they were asking it to carry.
They rode bicycles, balanced objects, and carried one another. We stood below, holding our breath while they somehow kept theirs.
Afterward, I spoke with one of the performers about the focus and discipline their work required. Then someone nearby asked the question many of us were thinking:
“Do you use safety nets?”
His answer was no. He explained that, in their experience, the presence of a net could become a distraction. Their training taught them to concentrate on the wire beneath their feet, rather than the possibility of something catching them below.
That conversation has stayed with me. It raises an uncomfortable question about following Jesus:
What am I relying on to make obedience feel safe?
Most of us want to trust Jesus. We just want a few assurances first.
Those conditions can sound reasonable. Sometimes they even sound wise. But they can also reveal how much control we want to retain.
It is possible to say yes to Jesus while quietly attaching an escape clause.
When Jesus called his first disciples, he invited them to follow him. They could not see every place that invitation would take them. They would discover joy, friendship, purpose, and grace. They would also encounter opposition, loss, and the unsettling discovery that Jesus had come to change their ambitions, not simply help them achieve them.
His invitation still carries that challenge.
In Luke 9:23, Jesus calls his followers to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him. That reaches deeper than adding a little faith to an otherwise unchanged life. It places our preferences, possessions, reputation, and future under his authority.
We don’t get to follow Jesus only where his footsteps overlap with our plans.
Of course, faithful obedience includes wisdom. Making plans, seeking counsel, saving money, and receiving help can all be expressions of trust in God. The question is what happens when Jesus asks something of us that those arrangements cannot guarantee.
Faith grows as we learn to trust Christ with the consequences of obeying Christ.
And here the tightrope illustration reaches its limit.
Our relationship with Jesus does not depend on our ability to maintain perfect balance. We stumble. Our courage wavers. Our attention wanders. The gospel gives us hope because our standing with God rests on what Jesus has done for us through his death and resurrection.
He is the Savior who receives sinners, restores those who fail, and gives his Spirit to help us follow him.
That grace gives us courage to obey. We can release our grip on control because we belong to the One who gave himself for us. Following him may be costly, but the cross has already shown us the depth of his love.
So perhaps the question for today is simple:
You may already know the next step: an apology, a generous gift, an honest conversation, a hidden act of service, or a compromise that needs to end.
Bring your fear to Jesus. Ask for wisdom. Receive his grace.
Then take the next faithful step.
You may not know what it will cost. But you know the One who is calling you.
Years ago, on a family trip to Silver Dollar City, we watched the Flying Wallendas perform high above the ground on a wire that looked far too thin to hold everything they were asking it to carry.
They rode bicycles, balanced objects, and carried one another. We stood below, holding our breath while they somehow kept theirs.
Afterward, I spoke with one of the performers about the focus and discipline their work required. Then someone nearby asked the question many of us were thinking:
“Do you use safety nets?”
His answer was no. He explained that, in their experience, the presence of a net could become a distraction. Their training taught them to concentrate on the wire beneath their feet, rather than the possibility of something catching them below.
That conversation has stayed with me. It raises an uncomfortable question about following Jesus:
What am I relying on to make obedience feel safe?
Most of us want to trust Jesus. We just want a few assurances first.
- I’ll be generous when I have more to spare.
- I’ll speak about my faith when there’s no chance of making the relationship awkward.
- I’ll forgive when the other person admits what they did.
- I’ll serve when it fits comfortably around everything else.
- I’ll follow Jesus wherever he leads—provided it doesn’t disrupt the life I’ve already planned.
Those conditions can sound reasonable. Sometimes they even sound wise. But they can also reveal how much control we want to retain.
It is possible to say yes to Jesus while quietly attaching an escape clause.
When Jesus called his first disciples, he invited them to follow him. They could not see every place that invitation would take them. They would discover joy, friendship, purpose, and grace. They would also encounter opposition, loss, and the unsettling discovery that Jesus had come to change their ambitions, not simply help them achieve them.
His invitation still carries that challenge.
In Luke 9:23, Jesus calls his followers to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him. That reaches deeper than adding a little faith to an otherwise unchanged life. It places our preferences, possessions, reputation, and future under his authority.
We don’t get to follow Jesus only where his footsteps overlap with our plans.
Of course, faithful obedience includes wisdom. Making plans, seeking counsel, saving money, and receiving help can all be expressions of trust in God. The question is what happens when Jesus asks something of us that those arrangements cannot guarantee.
- Will we obey him when we cannot control the response?
- Will we tell the truth when it costs us approval?
- Will we love someone who may never love us back?
- Will we repent when doing so means surrendering an excuse we have carried for years?
Faith grows as we learn to trust Christ with the consequences of obeying Christ.
And here the tightrope illustration reaches its limit.
Our relationship with Jesus does not depend on our ability to maintain perfect balance. We stumble. Our courage wavers. Our attention wanders. The gospel gives us hope because our standing with God rests on what Jesus has done for us through his death and resurrection.
He is the Savior who receives sinners, restores those who fail, and gives his Spirit to help us follow him.
That grace gives us courage to obey. We can release our grip on control because we belong to the One who gave himself for us. Following him may be costly, but the cross has already shown us the depth of his love.
So perhaps the question for today is simple:
- Where have I made my obedience conditional?
- Where am I waiting for certainty when Jesus has already given me something clear to do?
You may already know the next step: an apology, a generous gift, an honest conversation, a hidden act of service, or a compromise that needs to end.
Bring your fear to Jesus. Ask for wisdom. Receive his grace.
Then take the next faithful step.
You may not know what it will cost. But you know the One who is calling you.
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