Guest Post By: Gabriel Perry –
Think back to when you were a kid: If you were a boy, you had dreams of being a soldier, a cowboy, a Jedi knight; you wanted to Bring honor to your nation, justice to your small town, or peace to the galaxy. If you were a girl, you dreamed of being saved by some handsome stud, and of getting whisked away in the adventures of a young man. So my question is…
What happened?
Look around your world today: At your job, at your church, throughout your town or city. You’ll notice that most people are… Bored. Unfulfilled. They’ve giving up on the dreams they’ve had as a kid to settle for complacency. Why? Well, because it’s too risky to try to go outside of the box, to shoot for the stars; it may not make as much money, or be very well-accepted… You can go on. We’ve gotten comfortable with how things are, because everything is OK just the way it is… Why change it? What we’ve forgotten is that the dangerous things of life are often what make us come alive… and also that God himself is dangerous. Yes, I said it: God is dangerous at heart.
Consider these things: When God made creation, he didn’t simply lock everything up in a little box where nothing happened. No, he let his creation be free to romp through the wilderness, and he set Adam and Eve in a lush garden. Now, God knew about the opportunity to sin for both Adam and Eve, but rather then contain them in a little boring box where nothing bad could happen, he decided that it was worth the risk to let Adam and Eve be free in a lush, beautiful garden paradise, and to have a free will. And after we receive salvation, why does God even bother to leave them on this Earth? They could backslide, or make God look bad, or screw things up in some other way. So why are we here? God thought it was worth the risk of letting us screw things up to give us the amazing opportunity to show people who God is!
It’s far easier to get caught up in simple fantasies than it is to actually live out your dreams, to make a difference, to allow God’s power to run through you and let you live life to the full. People will feel that if they try something different, that they will die. Throwing away your security is scary, because it’s dangerous. But these are our chances to come alive:
“Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” (Luke 17:33)
Just think about where maybe you’re missing out on an opportunity to live life to the fullest, to reach your God-given potential. Just stop and think for a moment (after you read the rest of this post of course); you may feel prompted to try something new: exercising more, giving more, blowing the dust off your Bible and opening it up and reading it for once, spending more time with those you love, or maybe even just taking time to rest… The list can go on. Or Maybe you’ll feel prompted to dump something or do or less of something: Television, alcohol, cigarettes, or that goofy Flappy Bird app. The point I’m getting at is, try something that you wouldn’t normally do, or that you’ve never done before… Something that makes you feel vulnerable… Something dangerous. People won’t often do that because, God forbid, something might go wrong. And it could go wrong; there’s not always a guarantee that everything will go perfectly as planned. You might even fail, but that’s just a part of life, and it’s worth the risk. Author and comedian Ken Davis has said “You are going to fail… Do it quickly!” In other words, get it over with, and if you can, go at it again.
Too scared of failure? Let me ask: What else are you going to do? The same old thing? There’s no life there. We’ll often think that we’re saving ourselves by holding on to valueless things, but really, more often than not, we’re missing out on God’s best: Maybe it’s more time to spend with God or family or friends, more opportunities to do what you love, or maybe a better financial situation.
I’m not saying that we need to become super-buff, super-athletic ninja warriors that travel around the world and enjoy every cheap thrill imaginable. What I am saying is that we’d enjoy life more if we lived up to our true potential, in the ways that we’re gifted… Life to the full. That’s part of why Jesus came, after all:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
I challenge you to challenge yourself.
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman
Have a great day… Or night… Whenever you’re reading this.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
