My Way Is His Way

Let's start with this video. It's a bit dated, as the striped shirts and banded collars will indicate. You can listen as you read. First, from the book of Mark:
"Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'
Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.
Then they called the blind man, saying to him, 'Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.' And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
So Jesus answered and said to him, 'What do you want Me to do for you?'
The blind man said to Him, 'Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; your faith has made you well.' And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road" (Mark 10:46-52).
Bartimaeus inspired me as I was reading through this. Here was a guy that was motivated. He knew of Jesus, though he hadn't ever seen Him. The Bible doesn't say if he was blind since birth; we just know that he was blind. But even though he had never seen Jesus, he had heard the good news of Jesus. He knew that Jesus could heal him. So when he got the opportunity to meet Jesus, he didn't pass it up. (Preachers, there's a sermon for you.)
I also learned from Bartimaeus is that you don't let anyone keep you from Jesus. Notice that as he is calling out for Him, the people are telling him to be quiet. He was not about to let his opportunity to meet Jesus go away. We receive pressures today from a world that is far from sensitive to Jesus. We want Him out of the spotlight, we minimize Him, trivialize Him, treat Him like a cartoon figure, or give Him less power than He has. Don't let that pressure keep you from realizing that He is what you need, and He will answer you if you call on Him.
The main things I noticed were:
When we come to Jesus in faith, we must expect a change. Bartimaeus knew about Jesus. Too many people had been healed, lives had been changed, and His fame went everywhere. That's why deep down he knew- he must get to Jesus. He will change me.
A side note- some things hold us back from the change we come for. Earlier in the chapter, the young rich man came asking what he needed for eternal life. Jesus told him to sell his riches and give to the poor. He walked away. His riches and his "good" life here were more important to him than the truly good life there.
Lastly- When He changes us, we cannot go back to our old way. Notice the end of the story. Jesus told Him to go his way. Bartimaeus began to follow Jesus. In other words, his way was God's way. 
Think of Ruth. When she had nothing left, she went with Naomi, saying essentially the same thing. Think of the Wise Men. When they went to Jesus, they went back home a different way. When God changes you, when you immerse yourself in Him, that's when the true change begins. You can't live the life you did before. You read His word, it shows the way to live. It shows what God expects. It shows what needs to change in you, and what of your lifestyle needs to go away.
That is the change in me. I can't have the friends that I did before. I don't have the opinions that I used to have. My life and my decisions are based on the infallible Word. I remember the time God revealed Himself to me and showed my my need for Him. I am thankful for my decision to follow Him. I am proud to say that My way is His way. Or His way is my way. I'm not perfect, by any means. But thankfully He is, and my trust is in Him.