ZA MAGAZINE // seek truth.

If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior, you probably know that your life is in God’s hands and that He is taking care of you. We’ve all heard it countless times, and maybe even grew up singing about it (”He’s got the whole world in His hands…”). The creator of the world is taking care of us. And not only that, but also He empowers his children to live a life sold out for Him.

Think back to your days on the playground. Somehow the trips there never seemed to last long enough. There were terrifying yet exhilarating rickety seesaws. Swings in which you really could touch the sky…or at least the trees…well, maybe almost reach the trees. Wooden fortresses where top secret plans of keeping the boys (or the girls) out were formed. There was always enough to keep our minds and eyes moving even faster than our feet.

However, set apart from the chaos of battles being fought, princesses guarding the castle, and three course meals being cooked over a dandelion fire, there stood a fortress all on its own. Surrounded by a sea of green, the silver citadel reflected the sun so brightly you felt sure you would go blind if you looked at it too long. Possessing what could be called a terrible beauty, it was sure to be vacant if the bigger kids were not around.

Even though you could occupy yourself all day on the rest of the playground, there was just something about venturing to the enormous and intimidating metal slide. Sure, the swings and castles were fun, but one can only spend so much time by a fire made out of yellow weeds. And the slide offered so much! First of all, the view from the top could not be beat. From there, kings and queens could look out over the entire kingdom with an unmatched perspective. But beyond the incredible view accessible from the highest point of the slide, it was the ride down that really made the climb, which was a seemingly endless trek up too-small rust covered horizontal bars (steps is too forgiving a word) paired with a heart gripping fear that one foot might slip and you would plunge to the unforgiving earth below, worth it. Though full of excitement, it was a ride also accompanied by an overwhelming hope that you would make to the bottom alive. Yet, the big metal (ah the good ol’ days…no static, but killer on a sweltering summer day) slide didn’t seem as scary when Dad was at the bottom to catch you.

Here is where I will interject my parallel of faith. For many, the word faith may be equated to the word “believe.” It begins, and remains, in the mind. However, faith is not just knowing or believing that if you take the trip down the slide, Dad will be there. Faith is climbing that rusty ladder - no matter how long it takes you - sitting down at the top, and then sliding down. Faith is action, and there is freedom to act when you know in whose arms you will land. But as Christians, how often do we only reference the proverbial slide, rather actually using it?

The excuses can be endless. “It’s really just too hot today. I might get burned.” “It was raining and there might be a puddle at the bottom.” “I’m not good at sliding; I might get stuck in the middle.”

And so, we continue on in our efforts to lead righteous lives, alluding to the slide, marveling at its beauty, speaking of those who came before who dared to ride, aware of the opportunity, but rarely taking action; not exercising faith. However, the problem with such an approach is that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). To choose Christ is to choose a life of risk. It can be scary to act in faith, but this is not a ride worth missing.

Yet, what about the days when all the other Christians are on the merry-go-round? “Don’t go off to the slide,” they say, “Stay here and spin with us.” They’re not asking you to throw rocks at the littler kids or spray paint the swing set. They’re not requesting that you do something that is necessarily wrong. What do you do when action might risk the ridicule of the righteous?

Let’s take a look at someone who took that risk. I know holiday songs are off the radio and the world is yet again moving on from the Christmas story, but think on Joseph for a minute. According to the standards of the righteous, it would have been “right” for Joseph to divorce Mary, his betrothed, when he found out she was “miraculously” pregnant. Matthew 1:19 states, “And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly.” He did not have plans of defaming Mary, he was not going to destroy her name in the town, but he was simply going to quietly divorce his seemingly unfaithful betrothed. In the eyes of anyone at that time, Joseph’s choice to divorce Mary would have made sense; in fact, it would probably be the only logical solution.

But God had other plans (Big plans…like sending the Savior of the world plans!!). Joseph put aside what would have been logical to those around him and followed the path on which God was leading him by taking Mary as his wife. He did not know how it would end up or what kind of ride it would be, and it was certainly not without hardships along the way (for more on this please see “A Blessing, but a Struggle” by Matt Earley), but he knew in whose arms he would land.

I recently heard it preached that “when Jesus is present, He challenges the righteous people’s notions of what righteousness looks like.” The things that God asks us to do rarely make sense to the world, yet they may not seem logical to our brothers and sisters in Christ either. Are you willing to risk the approval of the righteous to follow God’s will? Is God calling you away from the merry-go-round for a bit to take a trip down the slide? Your friends might not understand, but Dad is waiting patiently for you.

Photo credit goes to stock.xchng user webclam.