Moving our cheese

One of my favourite books (well, maybe short story is a better description) is "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Dr Spencer Johnson. It's an allegory about two mice and two little people, who are happily enjoying cheese in one corner of a maze, when the cheese disappears. Do they head off into the unknown to find new cheese? Or stay put and hope the cheese gets replenished?

I first discovered this book more than ten years ago. I was reasonably comfortable where I was in my career, I knew what I was doing, and I was being recognised for being good at it. It was getting even more comfortable because after a couple of years of exploring new areas and steep learning curves, my role was slowly evolving back towards an area that I was particularly familiar with. Reading "Who Moved My Cheese?" prompted me to find a new adventure, and so I did, promptly moving to try out a different industry and a different role.

After a couple of years, I did actually end up going back to my original employer, but in yet another different role. All these different experiences have really made for an exciting time at work, and the chance to learn from and grow with so many different and amazing people!

Life is full of decision points. When it comes to decisions, there are basically three options - go there, go somewhere else, or wait here. To be clear - it's not always the case that we must move. Sometimes it's necessary for us to wait. When the Israelites were wandering the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt, God led them by a pillar of cloud. Numbers 9:17-22 is instructive (the picture below btw, is what I imagine the pillar of cloud might have looked like - it's an actual photo of a raincloud somewhere in Scotland)

"Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped... As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. 

Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 

Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out."

Stopping was not an easy thing to do. The Israelites had to set up camp, which, when you're moving thousands of people, is not a simple thing to do. And any stoppage meant a delay in which they were stuck in the wilderness, vulnerable to attack, and with supplies that needed to be replenished. As the Bible records, as long as the cloud didn't move, the people faithfully stayed put, whether it was two days or a month or a year.

Moving was not an easy thing to do either. If they had stayed in one place for a long time, they would have put down some roots and gained familiarity with the land. It wouldn't have been easy to uproot and move on into the unknown wilderness! They also had to pack up everything they set up. As the Bible records - sometimes the cloud only stayed overnight! But by day or by night, and even if they had just set up camp the night before, if the cloud moved, the Israelites would move.

The point is that, whether going or stopping, the Israelites promptly followed God's calling. 

The same principle can be seen in Jesus' work, and the people He called. In Luke 5, the historian Luke records Jesus' encounters with several different people. Jesus first meets Simon, James and John (we know from the book of Mark that Simon's brother Andrew was also there) when He is preaching to a crowd. They were a group of fishermen. When Jesus was done, He provides the fishermen with a huge catch of fish, a great financial help! But then He invites these fishermen to follow Him. And Luke records that "they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him". 

Shortly after, Jesus meets a man with leprosy. In His compassion, Jesus heals the leper. It's unclear what happens to the leper after that, but the Bible records that word of the healing spread, although no mention of the leper is made anywhere after.

Jesus then meets a paralyzed man, and again in His compassion, Jesus heals the man. The man gets up, and goes home praising God. Word of the healing spreads as well. But again, there's no mention of the man after that.

Finally, Jesus meets a tax collector called Levi. In those days, tax collectors were reviled, because they got rich by working for the Roman occupiers, and extorting money from their fellow Israelites. The Bible records that when Jesus calls Levi to follow Him, Levi "got up, left everything and followed him".

We don't know what really happened to the leper or the paralyzed man after that. We know they both received something wonderful from Jesus - healing of a terrible condition. We know they both went off after they were healed. Maybe they lived great lives testifying of God's power and healing. Or maybe they went back to their homes and slowly forgot about Jesus after that. Impossible to know for sure.

But we do know what happened to Simon, Andrew, James, John and Levi. There's something common about their response:

a. Jesus didn't give them stuff to follow Him. On the contrary, all of them had to *leave* their valuable stuff behind. Jesus had just given the fishermen a massive haul of fish. Levi was a rich tax collector.

b. When called by Jesus, they all moved *immediately*. They didn't say, hang on, let me deal with this fish first. They didn't say, wait, let me put my money and assets in order. They didn't say, I'll be with you in a second, Jesus.

And there's something common about the fruitful and impactful consequence of their obedience in leaving and moving straightaway. Each of these guys were... can you guess? 

Yeah, Simon, Andrew, James, John and Levi (also called Matthew) each became one of Jesus' twelve apostles!

Jesus had many followers, and many admirers, in those days, and even today. But the guys who said to themselves - I'm following Jesus, not just the good stuff He gives; and I'm moving right now, and not hanging about - these were the people who had the biggest impact, and had the closest relationship with Jesus.

We don't want to merely be some guy who looks for some nice stuff from God, then wanders off. We want to live purposeful, impactful lives. So what's stopping us?

In "Who Moved My Cheese", the protagonist Haw realises that "The More Important Your Cheese Is To You, The More You Want To Hold On To It". 

What's our cheese? Financial security? Significance in the workplace or within our social circle? General middle-class comfort?

Wow, it's hard to give these apparently tangible things up for something that doesn't seem quite as certain. So how? Our little friend Haw asks "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?" 

Just like the Israelites who had to come to a grinding halt, or uproot at a moment's notice - it can be scary. But if we have a God whose good promises never fail, then we don't need to be afraid. Then like the apostles, we can leave our nets and boats behind and follow straightaway.

But sometimes it's not fear. It's just inertia. We kinda like our old cheese. So Haw advises "Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It is Getting Old". 

It's easy to get so self-absorbed in the busyness of life - parenting, working (and over-working), building our nest eggs, and all our self-centred little obsessions, then we forget to "Smell The Cheese".

Even more importantly, "Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To New Cheese".

Switching to a different path, to where God is calling us, is really difficult, especially if we've been so happy with our Old Cheese for a long time. We have our old biases and skepticisms about being able to find our own way and our own peace - so we think, how could God's way be better? We have our old obsessions with "doing well" with our careers and for our children - so we think, this sort of success is all that we need. 

So how? The great part is, there's no need to grit our teeth and sweat buckets to forcibly will ourselves to change. We're far too weak to do that. And Jesus has already won the victory for us.

It's the reverse. We just need to take a deep breath, breathe out, and let go of the Old Cheese that we are desperately and tightly holding onto with stubborn, cramping fingers. 

We just need to ask our loving Father, with no need for fancy words or pomp and circumstance - Lord, I believe - help my unbelief! Reveal. Yourself. To. Me. And then He'll answer, even right now as you read this, in that still, small yet sure voice. He always does.

Have a wonderful, thoughtful and joyful weekend!