A new baby just came! He learned to walk, started preschool, cruised through elementary and middle school, he graduated high school, went to his first choice college, changed majors a few times, graduated with a masters degree, got married, got a job, had two kids, worked his way up in the company, retired at age 60, moved closer to the grandkids, and eventually was buried in the town graveyard.
Maybe a few unsuccessful job applications, perhaps a time or two in the hospital, or maybe attended a few more funerals than weddings, but overall, a nice, normal life right?
Or maybe I should say, a nice, normal, American life?
Or could we even go so far to say, a nice, normal life for an unbeliever? Right? Because how does surrender fit into that life? how does “take up your cross” fit into that life? how does “to live is Christ, to die is gain” fit into that life? how does the cost of discipleship fit into that life?
Long story short, I’m not sure if it does.
So why do we, why do so many in the church, strive so hard for a life that looks like this? It’s pretty safe, it’s fairly easy, it’s not disruptive, and it’s almost expected. But it’s not found in scripture.
Let’s look at Mark 10:17-30. The rich (and obedient) young ruler, to whom Jesus says “you lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow Me,” turns around and walks away, because that seems too hard. the call that Jesus gave him does not scream “American dream” and yet it’s what life in Christ looked like then, and still looks like now.
Jesus calls us into a life filled with loss, a life eclipsed by pain, a life tainted with hardship, a life blurred by grief. But it doesn’t stop there, and praise the Lord for that! This life is not a life without promise, not without abundance, and not without hope. This life of sacrifice and temporary hurt is where we get to be met with the tenderness and everlasting glory of our King.
His call to serve is a radical call, no matter how much we’d like to think it’s not. when we say yes to living for Christ, it means saying no to living for anything else. Not for our families, not for our jobs, not for our education. But Christ first, Christ alone, and everything else falls under that.
So what does that life look like? In some cases, it does mean forsaking everything you know, picking up, and moving to a desolate, third-world town, and sharing the gospel there. Sometimes, though, it can mean joining your church’s mission team, and choosing to use your two weeks of vacation to go on a trip with them. Maybe it means partnering financially with a local nonprofit, supporting them in their work. Most often, it might mean being consistent in inviting your friend to church each week.
I hope you hear my heart behind this. I don’t think there’s anything wrong about a 9-5 job, there’s so many blessings in a college degree, and there’s simplicity and peace in a routine. Oftentimes, a committed life in Christ doesn’t look like moving across the world or opening an orphanage. But every time, life in Christ means putting others before yourself, choosing to obey even when it might not make sense, loving the people who look nothing like you, and living an interruptible lifestyle. And that’s the radical life that Jesus calls us to. Radical doesn’t have to mean financial instability or not knowing what the next day brings, but I do believe it means generosity, hospitality, and willingness. So the questions I really want us to be asking ourselves are, whether as a realtor, doctor, full time missionary, or anything in between, am I living in a way that is willing to say yes to following the Lord, no matter the cost? As I work towards my master’s degree, or move closer to family, am I still choosing the Lord and worshipping Him as my top priority?
Radical obedience to our Father doesn’t guarantee comfort, wealth, health, or prosperity on this side of heaven. Radical obedience risks losing all those things. But that risk is accompanied by the promise of a hope far greater than something that wealth or comfort right now can fulfill, and that’s why we obey.
So church, let’s be willing to forsake the American dream, forsake our culture’s norms, and cheerfully embrace the radically uncomfortable but radically rewarding life in the gospel.
I don’t fear comfort, I don’t fear joy. But I know that comfort isn’t worth fighting for and joy can only be found in the Lord. and I don’t want to settle for anything less than Him. so that’s why I say my biggest fear is a white picket fence. Don’t settle for good enough, brothers and sisters, when we have the chance to receive best in our life of surrender to the One who loved us first.
