“Being radical does not always mean going and doing. Sometimes it means being consistent and focusing on what really matters in this world … your relationship with Jesus.”
These were the words I received from a fellow teammate one afternoon during feedback earlier this month, as I had spent the day back at our living accommodations for the day due to a knee injury and the inability to hike to the village school. I spent the day reading from God’s Word, in prayer and journaling, but if I’m honest I felt discouraged that I was not able to participate in ministry that day. This encouragement was just what I needed in that moment, but it also got me thinking and asking the question, “What does it really mean to be radical?”
Radical. A word that is tossed around quite often in today’s society and has lost some of the importance to its meaning. It is not just a good thing, but rather possibly has to do with the concept of a root. A radical change comes from the root of something. As a radical Christian, it is one whose roots are solid in Christ.
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” –Colossians 2:6-7
The health and spiritual growth for us as Christians is very similar to that of a plant as it is determined by the nourishment received from the root. A plant with no root will die and a Christian whose root is not in Christ will find his faith diminishing.
A radical Christian hears the call of Jesus and obeys. Obedience to Christ is not completed simply to fulfill a sense of duty, but rather it occurs because it is the natural thing to do. God has equipped us and desires us to be radical for Him. However, being radical for Christ looks differently for everyone. The most important thing is that Jesus is at the core of your life and everything else revolves around your relationship with Him.
So, I continue to ask myself (and now you) this important question. What is the root of your life? Where do you get your nourishment from?
