When it comes to advancing those things we value most, it’s a lot easier to be a cheerleader than it is to be a disciple.
This is a difference that’s worth understanding.
The things that matter most in life are generally things that don’t come easy.
This could include our faith, freedom, strong familial bonds, financial security and personal integrity.
Most of us would agree that they are desirable and even worth sacrificing for in order to gain, maintain and defend.
But it’s very easy to cheerlead about how great these things are without having to exercise the depth of commitment that discipleship requires.
Cheerleaders can get by with chanting slogans and working the fervor of the crowd.
Their goal is getting the crowd aboard the bandwagon.
Disciples, on the other hand, must be able to inspire others in ways that bring about lasting change and long term commitment.
And that is most likely to happen at the individual level.
This means that discipleship requires a personal willingness to invest deeply in knowing who we are and what we stand for.
A disciple cannot live on borrowed light and is often put to the test in ways that cause him or her to have to be willing to stand alone for what they value most.
Cheerleading can fire us up but it can’t change our hearts like the example of a disciple can.
You may also enjoy Latter-day Voices, another quality publication in the Fifty-two Seven Alliance family.
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