My husband and I were in Nashville recently. I had been to Nashville once before, but it was about 25 years ago. It has grown a lot since then. It was just a weekend trip for pleasure. Specifically, he had gotten me tickets to the Ed Sheeran concert, which I was very excited about. We used it as a chance to have a needed weekend away together.
One of the things that really got our attention was on a stroll through an area known as “The Gulch.” That is where you will find a mural of angel wings painted by artist Kelsey Montague. It wasn’t the mural itself that got my attention, it was the line that people were standing in to get pictures in front of it.
In fact, we noticed the line before we realized what was happening. Taylor Swift took a picture in front of one such mural by the same artist in New York once and sparked a trend. This spot in Music City now consistently draws a crowd looking for a photo op.
My husband and I were back in that same area the next day to eat breakfast at an equally popular place because the line was quite lengthy, and as we learned, that is typically the case. When we left the restaurant, we debated whether there would be a line for pictures at that mural on a Sunday morning. We drove by on purpose as we left just to find out. There was.
On a hot Sunday morning there was a line dozens of people deep to take a photo at that spot. I took the photo attached to this of people waiting in line for said opportunity. Let me pause right here to be clear, there is nothing wrong with waiting in line to have your picture taken at a popular tourist stop. Though I did not wait in line for that trendy photo op, I have done it in other places and will do it again. And I most certainly waited in the hot sun through a snaking line for an hour to get biscuits.
Thinking about that now does make me question my sanity just a little bit. It was good food, but was it worth the time or sun exposure? It’s hard to say really. Quality time with my husband was worthwhile, but the food, while good, wasn’t that amazing.
Freshly stuffed with carbohydrates and coffee, we left the city behind and headed home. As we did, my mind began to stew on those lines. I couldn’t help but think of why we are so quick to follow people and trends. It’s not necessarily wrong to follow the crowd or a particular person, but we should use some caution.
I’ve been thinking about the concept of who we’re following a lot lately. The bottom line is that if we’re not following Jesus, we are going the wrong way. I don’t want to be guilty of following anyone else or certainly of following someone who doesn’t closely follow Jesus. Likewise, just because someone is a well known or “celebrity” Christian, doesn’t mean I should or can settle for following them. We need to know our whys and have a personal relationship with Christ not one that is filtered through whoever we’re following.
I think about my children and what I am teaching them. They follow me. I want them to be following someone who they can see is following hard after Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 11:1-2, the apostle Paul puts it succinctly. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.”
I live and operate in a world where having “followers” is praised and is part of the game plan. It is something that I constantly struggle with. I don’t want to just be trying to accumulate subscribers and followers to pad statistics to get the right people’s attention. If someone is following my example, I want it to be because I follow the example of Christ. If you’re “following” me, reading my words, or seeking my counsel, and not getting value and glimpses of Jesus, then stop.
I just want all of us, starting with me, to be reminded that because someone or something is popular and everyone is joining in, doesn’t mean it is right. Before I stand in line, I want to make sure that it’s going to somewhere that I need to go. Before I follow someone, I want to make sure it’s because they are following the example of Christ. I don’t need any help being led astray or wasting time – I am already shockingly gifted at those.
Friends let’s make sure that who we are truly following is Jesus – not a church or a pastor, not a celebrity, an influencer, or a trend. If the line you’re in doesn’t get you to Him, you’re in the wrong one.
