Sunday, August 2, 2009

Are you willing to bet your life on it?

If you stopped believing in God, how would your life change?

Right now, I'm reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and that made me start thinking about this. How drastically would my life change? Would it be drastic enough?
Chan describes a "lukewarm Christian" (a title which I personally think is a bit generous) and one piece of the description is that they don't live their life by faith. They're comfortable and happy and if bad things happen, they don't need God, they have their savings account. Chan said that these kind of people, if they one day decided to no longer believe in God, wouldn't lead very different lives at all.

And that made me wonder, if I didn't believe in God how would my life change?
And, after a few moments reflection, I realized that I wouldn't have a life. Not because without God there wouldn't be life! That's a different scenario. Even if I didn't believe in Him, it wouldn't stop Him from existing. But if I didn't believe in God, my daily life would change. Without a firm belief in God, why be kind to your neighbors, why love your enemies, why keep yourself pure, why bother with good morals? But more than my daily life, I wouldn't have any life at all because I had given it up to Him a few years ago. If I didn't believe in God, that would put a damper on my career as a Bible Translator. But furthermore, if I stopped believing in God, I just wasted the past few years of my life. All my energies, my focus, all my efforts would have been for naught and that knowledge would sap the life out of me too. But even all of that, that's just the effect my love for my Lord has on my life. But if I didn't believe in God anymore, my best friend, my strength, my comforter, my teacher, my love would be gone. And if you've ever lost a best friend, you know how that takes a bit of your life, too.

And this realization, the realization of the dependency I have on God, to be completely transparent, freaks me out. I like to be in control of situations. I trust me. And here I discovered that one minute I was in complete control and THEN... I blinked. Now, God as my entire life in His hands. and I have to trust that He's going to take good care of it. And, I mean, I know "the bible tells me so" but there's a difference between "knowing" it to be true and betting your life on it.
It makes me think of the analogy where a guy walks across Niagara Falls on a tight rope with a wheel barrel with a man inside, makes it, then invites you to get in the wheel barrel. You know he can take you across and back, you just saw him, but are you willing to bet your life on it?

God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. But are you willing to bet your life on it?

2 comments:

Protestant Nun said...

That is one of those life defining moments. All in a moment you really know and understand this awesome truth. It is also very freeing as you live it out. Worries go away or at least don't stay long as you reclaim this truth. What you do bad can be easier forgivin, what you do right, totally God. That just frees you to simply keep your eyes on Him. Love ya

Kelli said...

I'm very glad to hear you are reading Crazy Love! It is an amazing book!