So, I’m still reading Crazy Love. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it to anyone who considers themselves a Christian. I’ve always appreciated Francis Chan. He spurs us on to the heart of God with his direct and challenging way of teaching. Challenging is of course, difficult but this life isn’t meant to be an easy ride. I also appreciate his visual analogies, like this one. I’ve used a couple of them to teach the girls about various aspects of life.
The balance beam analogy goes against everything I was taught growing up. Couple that with the “American Dream” and the goal indeed was to work hard and strive for “success.” Why?
So that we could, in fact, have a safe and comfortable life. But as a Christ follower, the Spirit beckons and our hearts become uneasy in the safety of the boat.
Jesus calls us to step out on the water and have faith. He says, “Do not be afraid… Come” (Matthew 14:22-23)
But what exactly does that mean? For each of us, that might mean something different but it always means doing what God thinks is important, not the world.
As much as I’d like to sit in my comfortable boat, with my life vest on, where the fish are always biting, and there’s not a storm in sight-- that’s not the full and abundant life Jesus came for (or died for).
So, do we continue to live safely or put ourselves at risk for the sake of something much greater? I have experienced both and I’m often caught in between the two paradigms. It is a constant and deliberate choice we have to make every day. The full life that Jesus came to give us is not always neatly packaged or easy by any means, but it is abundant in the things that ultimately matter in the end.
And I don’t know about you but as scary as that might seem, I want that kind of life.
One that matters to God in the end.
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