Beside the Well
Have you
seen the videos of web-suited people jumping off mountains in Norway and
navigating the air currents above the fjords?
I’d love to think I could do that, but someone would have to push me
off! Then I’d probably scream all the
way down and forget to enjoy the trip!
As I was
reading a devotion book by Emilie Barnes she said, “As with any talent, we must
be willing to be used. Yes, there is a
risk, but its worth the insecurity to find out how far God can take us if we
are willing…Life is not boring when you have a purpose.” (p 64)
Those
webbed jumpers are taking an extreme risk.
They are trusting the currents to hold them as they glide ever
downward. But they probably weigh the
risk against the experience and think it well worth it. I don’t know if they have any other purpose
in life than to seek thrills, but I am sure their adrenaline is surging!
My life
isn’t lived on such an adrenaline rush, but that doesn’t stop me seeing the
futility and endless boredom of a life without purpose. I hate that feeling of being in a rut with no
end in sight.
However, life with a purpose is
demanding. It requires me to use my talents
for His glory. Or, at least to be
willing to give it a go. Insecurity
cries out for self-protection. I don’t
want to be embarrassed or fail. I don’t
want to make a mistake and hurt someone.
Those thoughts are entirely self-centered. They are not God centered.
Take a risk? Oh, my! Too often I find myself stuck between
being the poor guy who buries his talent in the ground and the risk taker who
plunges himself into following God’s will.
I’m not really a brave soul. I
would rather stay inside my four walls and live a secluded life. But sometimes God’s will takes me out of my
comfort zone. Sometimes I have to be a
risk-taker for God. I have to hazard
myself for the sake of the Gospel or others.
I must step out by faith and soar with the current of the Spirit if I am
to fulfil the purpose God has for my life.
Experience
has taught me to step out for God. Why
then do I still come to roadblocks on the path of His will? Why do I shudder with fear or doubt when I am
faced with something new?
I have learned that the blessing is
always on the other side of obedience. Each step is just another step of
obedience and a building step of my faith.
If I stand at the parapet of the mount and fail to cast myself into the
current of His winds, I will never mount up with wings like an eagle. I will never know the security and thrill of
deep abiding faith. The fear of risk,
the fear of insecurity and the unknown will keep me clutching to tangible
things and I will never soar by faith.
I once
read, and have never forgotten: “Nothing before, nothing behind; the steps of
faith fall on the seeming void and find The Rock beneath” (JGW).
No boredom there! Only a purposeful challenge—like extreme
sports—keeping up with Jesus means taking the plunge and learning to soar!
Barnes, Emilie, 15
Minutes Alone with God, Harvest House Publisher, Eugene, Oregon1994.
Whittier, John Greenleaf, www.theranch.org, February 25,
2008
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