Can I just tell you that I am SO thankful Jesus never leaves me nor forsakes me?! Even when I'm at my worst and I don’t understand why certain things turn out the way they do He still gives me the choice to decide how I can respond. And it isn't always easy but I am thankful I can choose Him, choose His joy, peace, comfort, restoration…Yes, I choose to trust Him, what else is there to do? What do I have to lose in doing so? Why not risk it...and trust? (See Psalm 56:3)
Too often we look for a "safe place" to test out the waters again - a safe church, ministry, relationship, etc. But the thing is all those things involve people, and people aren't safe, they're human; and broken humans are bound to make mistakes and sometimes disappoint. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth it.
To truly live this life is to expose your heart and take a risk and abandon false safety. Is it really fun standing on the shoreline when there are oceans full of things to be discovered and explored?! Or would you rather play it safe? At the very least take leap of faith and get your feet wet.
Yes its dangerous, following God is dangerous, people may disagree with you, abandon you, persecute you, mock you etc...and you might get hurt in whatever the process it is you are going through, but if it is shoulder to shoulder with Jesus it's the "safest" place you can be. Because He alone is good.
The only true safety I want to know is that I am in God's will. That’s safety. In the face of danger, tears, or pain what more can I do then to stand firm, embracing life’s challenges and choosing to laugh at what the future may hold; embracing each step of the journey and process, accepting that Christ may not be "physically" safe but He is good.. I don’t have all the answers. Quite honestly I don’t need them. What I do need is to know God and be known by Him...and Be.In.His.Will.
I want to live a life of adventure with Him, bold, free, and brave-- confident in His love for me, scaling mountains and leaping far beyond all the distractions and circumstances that would try to come steal, kill and destroy and tell me otherwise.
And why am I saying all this? --Because at this time of year we should all be reminded that Jesus didn't play it "safe" concerning us. He took the greatest risk of all time and dared to love us. You see the loudest proclamation of love in all of history rung out thousands of years ago. It was a Son on a cross in excruciating pain, weeping, in utter anguish, bearing the weight of the world on His perfect sinless shoulders....and this proclamation of love didn't end there either…He not only took on this great weight but died doing it and then turned around and defeated the grave, rose again, and now promises to return to us.
But He hasn’t left us...yes He may not be here in the flesh but He is within our depths. His word says He is with us always (Matt. 28:20). With each breath and every movement in our being He is there. He is there in the valley where our faith and trust may falter, and He is there at the mountain top gazing at the beauty of the path traveled to get there. He is with us when we are deciding what to make for dinner, what outfit to wear, what job offer to accept or what path to choose.
He’s in the details. He’s actively present. We only need be still, stop the hectic rush and cause our senses to be deliberate in acknowledging His graceful, grace-filled presence in our lives.
I know many of us have experienced so many unplanned & unexplainable things, deep suffering, pain and loss. But God promises to make good out of the storms that may bring challenges or devastation in our lives (Read Romans 8!).
So we need not fear whether or not Jesus is committed. He isn’t giving up, nor will He - He has made a covenant with those who believe and He is the absolute King of the follow through. And what a beautiful demonstration of this when He hung on the cross. I can personally guarantee and more importantly the word guarantees that there is truly no greater love than this. M
y best friend gave His life for me so I could truly live. I may not always be literally safe but I am in the safety of His friendship and leading in my life. And I need not fear but only believe for I am His, and He is mine and I think we got a good thing going on. ;-)
I don't want to live like He’s still in the grave or in such a way that I disvalue the work of the cross. My life is dangerous because I have made the safest choice, Him. I want to make His name famous among the nations so He can return as promised. I want to honor the King of the follow through by doing just that- following through. I want to waste my life giving myself to him over and over again until that precious moment He calls me home; and I invite you to do the same. He's the only one who is worthy of such dedication, time, effort and honor...and He is forever my dangerous safe place.
Happy Easter everyone and may your heart soar with the endless possibilities that are available if only you truly believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus!
With my heart on my sleeve,
Bethany
