Drop and follow

Fire drills at school are fun. When the alarm bell rings, you have to drop whatever you're doing, line up and walk very fast out of the school. You always feel excited, pretending there's a real fire and wondering what would happen if the school burned down!

Kids aren't the only ones who drop everything to follow their teacher. In this week's Gospel (Matthew 4:12-23), the first Apostles do the same thing for Jesus!

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been arrested for teaching about Him, He moved to Capernaum and started teaching there instead. One day, as Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon Peter and Andrew, who were fishermen. "Come with me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of people." So they dropped their nets and followed Him.

Schools have fire drills so you can practice what to do in case there's ever a real fire or you have to leave school quickly. It's important not to waste time getting out if there's a real problem!

Jesus probably would have liked fire drills, because He didn't waste time either. When He asked people to be His first Apostles, His closest friends and followers, He didn't tell them all about who He was and why He picked them. He just said, "Follow me!"

Some kids fool around during fire drills. They try to be the last one out or push other kids in line. They also get in trouble because they're not getting out fast!

Those aren't the kinds of people Jesus was looking for. When He asked Simon Peter and Andrew to come teach people about God, He didn't want them to argue -- just listen to Him. And they did!

Think about this: If the Apostles were here today, they would be great at fire drills. They knew when to drop everything and follow their teacher!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me listen to you -- and to my other teachers! Amen.