The Risk of Faith

 Ever get to a place in life where you realize, " I can't keep doing this forever, something has to change!" You have an uneasy feeling on the inside that says you haven't become who you were supposed to be and you're not doing what you were born to do. You know you need to change. You know your circumstances need to change .....but you're afraid that the price tag of change is too high. Frankly, you're afraid and caught in the middle of a place called 'the land between''.

  What you're experiencing is the realization that indeed there is very real risk involved in making significant life changes. We're not talking about a change in your physical appearance, your diet or your schedule. We're talking about the big things of life.... the WHO, the WHERE, the WHAT and ultimately the for WHOM. Since we are born for a specific purpose by a God who knows what he's doing we're all frustrated when we're misplaced in life. We're lost in life till we find our place, our person and our passion. Who am I? Where am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to be doing?  If you haven't answered those questions adequately your soul suffers deeply. You always KNOW when you're not being honest about these three key dynamics in life.

  Let's talk a little about RISK. Risk defined is a possibility of loss, injury or danger. It's interesting that God's call to follow him in relationship implies absolute trust and a willingness to go where we've never gone.... to lean totally on his character and not KNOW the where, the how or many other pertinent details. The sum of God's requirement to please him is a VERY risky proposition: " But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him."

  It's one thing to know you need to make changes in your life. It's quite another to make the changes you need to make to get to where you know you need to go. Fear has the power to paralyze our movement toward our destiny. You'll always have to leave something, someone and some place before you can get to the 'next place' in life. Without Faith and trust in the God of love many won't go....the fear of the unknown is closely related to our not KNOWING the ONE who is love.

  Are you STUCK? Are you in a place of enduring frustration and dissatisfaction? Is your stomach churning and your mind racing at night? Perhaps you're being called to the place of risk with a God who can be trusted to care for you on life's challenging twist and turns.... your own pilgrimmage of personal faith. Change is not an enemy, it's your best friend calling you into the future... to a place prepared for you in every detail by a God who knows your name.... knows your desires, your talents, your dreams and has hand painted them into your soul.

  The frustration we all feel at times in life is often fueled by the God who wants something better for us... he doesn't want us to camp at wells gone dry or in relationships gone bad. He wants to change us, empower us, guide us and fulfill us. But all that involves an ongoing relationship of faith.... and risk.  The risk is that we can't control the God who calls us to himself.... but once you begin to know him and how much he loves you, you begin to relax and enjoy the journey.  You were born to experience life as adventure...there is an element of the explorer in all of us. When we deny our need for adventure and settle down into a 'risk free' life we shove a knife into our soul and die a slow death. Faith is all about trust...we move and make changes with no guarantees except that the God who calls us forward into the future is GOOD and LOVE.

  Are you moving into the future prepared for you? Or are you holding onto a past that no longer exists?  Let's follow the example of faithful Abraham, "By faith Abraham obeyed when was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelled in the land of promise...." (Heb. 11:8)

Jim