A Good Disciple Is One Who Leaves

Disciples make sacrifices and face hardships, like migrants who travel the world in search of work. Leaving the familiar is the key to following Jesus. 

At a hospital in Galveston, Texas, a Filipino nurse named Rosalie was working the night shift. One of her patients was a 92-year-old engineer with a broken arm. Another was an 82-year-old man with renal disease. The third patient was only 52, but diabetes had caused him to lose his left foot.

The diabetic had been a Baptist preacher in an African American church, along with running a car-detailing business. But then his disease began to rule his life. He took only a portion of his insulin, telling Rosalie that he knew his body best. “I’ll let the doctor know,” she said with a smile, wanting to avoid an argument.

He softened a bit and told her that he would try to be a model patient. “Your job is hard enough,” he said. “You don’t need someone acting the fool.”

Then things got busy with a diaper change for the engineer, instructions for the man with renal disease, and a shot for the diabetic. On top of this, a new patient arrived, a...