Taking Risks

Many times what God asks us to do does not make much sense in our human nature. He is always asking us to go further than our comfortabilities – it’s how we grow. Of course it can be scary.

It might be that at first you were comfortable, or just slightly unnerved and then something happens… God has asked you to go even further. Do you shrink back in fear? If we choose fear over the chance – we are telling God he can’t be trusted. And stripped down, it’s disobedience. I want my life to be characterized by trust in the only One who is absolutely trustworthy. I want to push the fear aside and go for it, because I don’t want to miss the blessings. The blessing might not even come from that particular opportunity, it could come from something or somewhere else entirely. But it will come.

This week has been unexpectedly hard. At times I wanted to lie down and quit. It seemed like God had let me down and people could not be trusted. I wanted to take the gates to my heart that I had opened, slam them shut and put as many locks as I could find on it. Of course that is not what God wanted. Not only did he very clearly tell me to not close that gate even one inch – he asked me to open them wider. Not only that, but to step out from behind them… even in my very flawed and leprous state.

I was not liking that conversation. I did quite a bit of whining with my thoughts…

“but God!!!”

The choice was mine. He doesn’t stop us from making wrong choices. I could shut out the blessing or make more room to receive it, even though it might be hard.

Of course, immediately God provided a way to walk it out. Hanging out in Bloom chat, someone needed to be heard. I stepped out and listened. I loved. I let God’s love and words pour forth. I told her to find whatever sliver of hope she could and then hang on to it. In reality, God was holding up a mirror asking me to look at myself… what would I say to me? Did I believe my own words? In the end she told me that the things she had heard about me were true. I joking said "don't believe everything you hear." Her response. "I didn't until I experienced it." It’s never about the words… it’s always about the fruit. Is the fruit of my life revealing my lack of faith and trust or does it glorify the greatness of God?

How comfortable are we? Are our words backed up by our actions or are we flighty with them? What kind of fruit are we producing?

This Jesus walk… it isn’t easy. It goes against the grain, against the current. It doesn’t fall in line with our selfish desires or natural senses. What choice will you make? Does it depend on what he asks of you?

He might ask you to leave home and go to an unknown land like Abraham… or drive to Ohio to share your story...or speak out truth like the prophets… or walk on water. Maybe it’s to reach out to a stranger… or love someone who won’t love you back. It may even be to give your life. Do you trust Him?