Warning this is a kind of long blog post. So uhm…get comfy. It’s worth it…I think.
For the past few weeks now I have been utterly captured by one simple word. A word with synonyms like profound, exhaustive, and rigorous. Any guesses on this word? Drum roll please. The word is…RADICAL. I have been pondering a question within my brain for awhile now. The question of, what does it look like to live radically for Christ? I began to ask this question to friends, myself, and most importantly the Lord. A strange overwhelming desire has settled deep within my bones. A desire to toss out society’s norm and get rid of the good old American dream. A desire to dig deep, and chase after Christ in the wildest but most obedient way.
Okay so real talk time. When beginning my transformed walk with the Lord I had this notion in the back of my head that yes His word is so important but did it really matter if I followed every little thing asked of me? I mean after all I am forgiven. After all He is a loving Father. But hold up – while He is a loving Father, He is crazy powerful! He hates the wicked and adores the righteous. I started to understand that being “that crazy Christian” who followed what His word entailed wasn’t bad. In fact, I realized that when you love someone so much obedience flows naturally out of your soul. Suddenly, I realized that when holding myself accountable to His standards, my life can be filled with an intensified passion and joy.
Awhile back I found a book titled “Radical” written by David Platt. Above it was the phrase “Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream.” I immediately snagged it. Then life got super hectic and the book collected dust on my bookshelf, whoops. Good news though I just finished this book, and while reading it I found my heart feeling like it might explode out of my chest! The ideas I have been tirelessly trying to find the words to express poured out upon the pages. The Lord blew me away once again!
The morning prior to beginning this read, I awoke as dawn was approaching. My chest was tight, and it began sort of hard to breathe. I was startled from my sleep. I suddenly realized that within a short number of days I would be packing a bag and leaving my porch steps for nine months. I would be saying goodbye to the most familiar faces of those I love so dearly. I would be escaping the sweet comforts of home. My small town, my cute dog, even my own comfy bed. Nine months…where even is my head going to rest for these nine months ahead of me? Four different countries? Why did I sign up for this Lord? Why did I think this was okay? What am I doing with my life? These questions literally made my brain hurt. I pulled His word out, steadied my breathing and held fast to His promises.
Why did I feel like that? Do I still feel like that? The answer is, I now have never been more pumped for something in my entire life. What changed? I got real with the Lord, and that awesome little read stirred something within me. The first chapter in this book by Platt is titled “Someone Worth Losing Everything For.” It focused primarily on what radical abandonment to Jesus looks like. Platt writes, “You and I can choose to continue with business as usual in the Christian life in the church as a whole, enjoying success based on the standards defined by the culture around us. Or we can take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what the consequences might be if we really believed him and really obeyed him.” Jesus has so many promises for us but it requires us to fully commit to a life of following Him. A life filled with super intense devotion to no one but Him. I have realized we focus on ourselves so much. I apologize if this offends anyone but so often we take what we need from Sunday mornings and apply it to how well it fits our current situation. We take our daily dose of Jesus and call it good. We serve a few times and think that’ll do. But is a twenty minute morning devotion every day for the Lord really enough? Is there something inside of you that needs more of Him? We were made to worship, to give glory to Him forever! So why do we so often pick and choose what we need to hear from the Bible instead of soaking it all up as a whole? I want more – in fact I need more of Him, no matter the sacrifice.
Finally getting to the point of this blog (if you’re still reading this you’re rad). What I’m getting at is there is such an urgency to live on fire for the Lord ALL THE TIME. Not just in seasons. Platt wrote, “While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives to proclaiming the kingdom of God, literally billions in need of the gospel remain in the dark.” We have been graciously given resources to reach those who have never heard of the name of Jesus. We have been given a command to go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15). Not a calling, but a command. Therefore the Lord places dreams within each of our own hearts. He seeds within us great things in order for us to give all glory to Him! I understand not everyone can simply pack their belongings in one bag and run to the nations. But imagine what would happen if we began to radically share His word with those around us? What would happen if we crossed that line that society tells us not to when it comes to talking about religion? Do you know what happens when we cross that line? People get SAVED. Eyes are opened to the most intimate relationship of all time. A relationship with a gracious Father!
I have been reaffirmed once again in abandoning everything familiar in order to share the love of Christ with brothers and sisters across borders. I have more I’d love to rant on about but I know this is a lot to read already (my apologies). I encourage you all to check out Radical by David Platt. Most importantly I actually encourage you all to study His word even more intensely, because it’s insanely life-giving. Stay hungry for His word! Stay passionate for His love! Stay radical when following Christ!
