Going Skydiving

Eric Ludy writes, "God is asking, 'How seriously are you going to trust me?'" How seriously are you trusting God? Do we really believe that God is enough? That he works everything out for good? That he is supreme and everywhere and all powerful? That we can rely on him for anything and everything?

We may say that we believe God is all powerful, but then we worry and doubt the outcome of a situation. That's normal, but it's not right. If God is really all powerful, what can't he do?

Likewise, we'll tell our friends, "Oh, yeah, God loves you and he's going to work out everything out for your good" then we complain or freak out as soon as plans change.

How seriously are you trusting God?

A friend once told me: "The opposite of faith is fear." Are you afraid? 1 Timothy tells us that God did not give us "a spirit of timidity", but one of "power, love, and self-discipline". In actuality, with God we have nothing to fear, because if God is for us, who can be against us?

So be willing to trust God. Ask him to give you the ability and desire to rely on him, to depend on him, to be less afraid and more faithful. God is faithful to us, and never failed us. He will never let you down. Give him your trust. Truly, unashamedly, ask him to show you how to trust, how to let go of the airplane and jump out so you can actually experience sky-diving. Ask him to give you a perfect opportunity to do so.

Often times we give a lot of our lives to God, but we hold back something for ourselves. Maybe this is your school work, your friendships, your romantic relationships, your speech or thoughts. Listen, God wants it all. Go sky-diving in every part of your life! Wrap it up in a box and set it at God's feet. Treat each issue of your life the same - an issue to bring before God and ask for his grace about. No problem is any different than the others.

So... How seriously are you willing to trust God? How seriously are you depending on him, relying on him, needing him for everything?

Trust him.

How Seriously Am I Going to Trust God?

I am secretly terrified of the unknown. I've written before about how I like to plan everything in advance. I like to know exactly what's going to happen. The first day of school, summer camps, school dances, performances or presentations... all were terrifying to me in school, for the main reason that I couldn't control them.

Recently, something has popped up in my life, as unexpectedly as a Facebook chat message pops up on my computer screen. Something that, by all appearances, was good and well-meaning and completely innocent. I struggled with understanding if I felt like I should pursue this subject in my life because God wanted me to, or because I wanted me to. I spent long times in prayer, talking with Christians I look up to, and debating what to do.

I've realized that I have put way too much stock in my plan. I wrongly believed it was "God's plan" that "my plan" should happen. And why shouldn't it? I mean, to any adult, it looks like I have my head on straight. It looks like I have an appropriate plan, and that people would be wise to have a similar plan. But I was uncompromising in my plan. Uncompromising to the point where I wasn't listening to God at all. Even if this thing God had for me was something I might actually enjoy.

Don't worry, I'm still very cautious about everything I do and about being a representative of Christ. But I've learned that I can't control everything. I cannot know the future or even the end result, but that's not a reason to hide and give up. It's a reason to joyfully embrace what God puts in my life and maintain a close connection to him.

Eric Ludy writes that he heard God asking him, "How seriously are you going to trust me, Eric?" And when I read that, I immediately thought about God asking me the same question. "How seriously are you going to trust me, Alex?" I felt convicted. And I realized that I must trust God with everything.