Jesus asks his disciples to abandon the familiar, even their families. He won’t compete for our affection. The problem is that his disciples of today have far more to abandon than those of past generations. Separation anxiety is something to be wrestled with. The kind of total abandon he required of his disciples is a rare occurrence in our modern world.
Jesus asks us, “Do you trust me?” And when we answer, “Yes,” he responds by saying, “Then jump off this cliff – I’ll catch you.” That call to jump, to be willing to sacrifice anything to follow Jesus, sounds radical to our sophisticated ears and ever-calculating hearts.
In his blog on discipleship, Seth Barnes talks about the principle of abandon: being willing to give up all we have (or expect to have), for the sake of Christ alone. Total abandon is the call and example that Jesus gave us while He walked this earth, yet the unwillingness of the American church to do so is embarrasing.
I attribute my own participation in the World Race in large part to the desire to be surrounded by people willing to make this level of commitment to Christ. Back home, I yearned for the example of someone willing to give it all to God. I felt in my soul that there had to be more to my relationship with God than showing up at church every Sunday, trying to earn bonus points by remembering to bring my Bible. Yet more often than not, I found lukewarm Christians, more full of excuses than anything else.
“I can’t go serve God – I have small children to raise.”
“I can’t be a youth leader, I don’t know my Bible that well.”
“I’m too busy with my hobby to get involved at church. After all, doesn’t God want me to be happy?”
“I’m just not comfortable with that.”
So many of these ‘reasons’ to avoid serving stem from a desire to keep ourselves comfortable and safe.
Why are people so dang afraid of being uncomfortable?
God’s call might be asking us to do something hard! Yet why is that so threatening?
Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that safety has become an idol to Americans, which I believe has bled over to the church as well. Think about it: can you buy anything that doesn’t come with a warning label attached? You had better have a water filter, anti-bacterial soap, and a flame-retardant nightgown.
You certainly better be having safe sex! My goodness, after all the ad campaigns, I’m afraid to sit in a parked car without my seat belt buckled!
Can this really be the abundant life that God has promised us?
When my husband and I followed God’s call to come on this trip, everyone sent us off saying “Have a safe trip” and “I’ll be praying for your safety”. Not that I don’t want those prayers, mind you, but it really disappointed me how few wished us success, boldness and blessing in ministry. Even if it meant being ‘unsafe’.
We need more examples of people willing to take risks for God. People who have an eternal perspective. People who know that a little discomfort right now means treasure in heaven and eternal glory. Everything tangible we have right now will eventually be lost to us – why not spend our lives on the one true thing that matters?
Let’s quit playing it safe.
Is the safety of our comfort zone really more valuable than pleasing the One who gave His very life for us?
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)
