Corrie said, "I am afraid that I will never be strong enough to die as a martyr."
Her father replied: "When you have to go on a journey, when do I give you the money for the fare-two weeks before?"
"No, Daddy, on the day that I am leaving."
"Precisely...and our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. When the time comes to die, you will find the strength you need-just in time."
Wow. In this passage, she's referring to dying. But I would challenge, this metaphor can be used in all aspects of our walk with God. So often, we say we trust in God, but then make plans for if He doesn't follow through. We say 'He will provide' and then build up our savings account. We pray for guidance, and then take action without waiting on a word from God. But God doesn't say 'I'm going to give you two weeks notice that things will be ok.' He provides AT the time it is needed. Talk about a hard way to live. Which brings me to my reflection on an uncomfortable life.
Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23
How many Christians proclaim faith, but live in such comfort that if God were to disappear, nothing would change? How many of us truly live a life, where, if God doesn't come through, we are going to be in big trouble? How many of us have a closet full of clothes, while people shiver in the streets? How many of us have eaten three meals today, while a child in another country hasn't eaten in days? Jesus calls us to take up the cross daily...in other words, to live a life of possible discomfort, so that others might be served.
We hear these things at church all the time, and then go home and have a big Sunday dinner, and start planning our schedule for the week. But what if, just what if, we truly walked in faith? What if we give until it hurts, and then depend on God for our next meal? What if we wear the same few clothes day in and day out, so that others might be warm? What if, when God says 'I need you here', we quit our jobs and pick up and move, without any prospects? What if God calls you to go minister in the 'dangerous' part of town, you go, and put your life in His hands? What if we befriend the one everyone makes fun of, at the risk of losing friendships?
I pose all these what ifs....but these are actually commands from God.
Jesus said: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40.
And again: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!" Luke 12:22-24
How can we truly walk with Him, if we are not depending on Him for our very lives, and giving of ourselves until we are 'uncomfortable'?
I admit, I do not always live this way. Especially when you have children, its hard. You want to give them the world. You ask: How can I put my child's ball playing costs over someone else's needs that I don't even know? Even harder...how can I give so much of our funds, that I'm scared I can't feed my child?
It all boils down to: Do we trust Him, or do we not?
P.S. In EVERY instance that I have obeyed, and taken up my cross, God has come through....sometimes in even miraculous ways. He has never let me down, never let me go hungry, never left me wanting...not even once. In fact, the joy He has given for serving Him has ALWAYS overshadowed the fear of stepping off of the cliff of faith.
Amy Edwards
