Living on the edge...
It's what rebels do, right? We live life in the fast lane and throw caution to the wind. In true rebel form, I am definitely living on the edge these days, but not like you'd think.
For the last month or so I've been consumed with this thought, or feeling rather, that I'm on the edge of a cliff. Not a real cliff, of course but that proverbial cliff that so many of us face as Christians.
Behind me is safety. The comfortable Christian life.
In front of me is the chasm of the unknown. A life sold out to Christ.
I've been here before. Maybe you have too. Many times I've opted to back away from the jagged ledge and return to the life I've always known. A life of safety and predictability.
I did jump once though. I felt the Lord calling me into the "chasm" in the form of missions in Thailand. Much like the disciples when they dropped their nets and followed Christ, I left my home in the states and moved to a foreign country to spread the Gospel.
But...
yes, there's a but...
looking back I realize that even that decision was "calculated" to a degree. In a sense, the way had been paved for me. Others had gone before, making the "chasm" seem safer somehow.
Returning to the example of Christ's Disciples, I've noticed something about the way they followed.
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them,“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
These men didn't ask questions. They didn't make excuses or try to put their calling off. They didn't calculate the risk of such a decision or ask to interview those who had gone before them.
I think there's a word that describes that kind of leap...
Abandon.
So here I am, on the edge of yet another cliff, longing to possess the courage and conviction of the disciples but somehow hesitating.
Maybe it's fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what others will think.
My prayer is that God would replace my fear with faith so that I may jump into the chasm with abandon and live the life He is calling me to.
It's what rebels do, right? We live life in the fast lane and throw caution to the wind. In true rebel form, I am definitely living on the edge these days, but not like you'd think.
For the last month or so I've been consumed with this thought, or feeling rather, that I'm on the edge of a cliff. Not a real cliff, of course but that proverbial cliff that so many of us face as Christians.
Behind me is safety. The comfortable Christian life.
In front of me is the chasm of the unknown. A life sold out to Christ.
I've been here before. Maybe you have too. Many times I've opted to back away from the jagged ledge and return to the life I've always known. A life of safety and predictability.
I did jump once though. I felt the Lord calling me into the "chasm" in the form of missions in Thailand. Much like the disciples when they dropped their nets and followed Christ, I left my home in the states and moved to a foreign country to spread the Gospel.
But...
yes, there's a but...
looking back I realize that even that decision was "calculated" to a degree. In a sense, the way had been paved for me. Others had gone before, making the "chasm" seem safer somehow.
Returning to the example of Christ's Disciples, I've noticed something about the way they followed.
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them,“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
These men didn't ask questions. They didn't make excuses or try to put their calling off. They didn't calculate the risk of such a decision or ask to interview those who had gone before them.
I think there's a word that describes that kind of leap...
Abandon.
So here I am, on the edge of yet another cliff, longing to possess the courage and conviction of the disciples but somehow hesitating.
Maybe it's fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what others will think.
My prayer is that God would replace my fear with faith so that I may jump into the chasm with abandon and live the life He is calling me to.
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