Our beauty hidden by fear. [Continued]

Responding to the invitations of Jesus often feels like the riskiest thing we've ever done.Webster defines "risk" as exposing one's life to the possibility of injury,damage,or loss. Living our lives under God's authority is a profound risk. The risk of loving others.The risk of stepping out and offering,speaking up and following our God-given dreams.The risk of playing the irreplaceable role that is ours to play. Of course it is hard. If it were easy,you'd see lots of people living this way.The reason we fear to step out is because we know that it might not go well (is that an understatement?).We have a history of wounds screaming at us to play is safe.We feel so deeply that if it doesn't go well,if we are not received well,their reaction becomes the verdict on our lives,on our very beings,on our hearts.We fear that our deepest doubts about ourselves will be confirmed.Again.That is why we can only risk stepping out when we are resting in the love of God.When we have received HIS verdict on our lives-that we are chosen and dearly loved.That He finds captivating.Then we are free to offer.

You could say that people did not respond very well to Jesus' love,to his stepping out in faith and playing the role that was his alone to play.And that would be a ridiculous understatement!The very people that Jesus died for hurled insults at him,mocked him,spat at him,crucified him.Jesus had to trust his Father profoundly, with his very being.Peter uses him as our example saying, "Follow in his steps...He did not retaliate when he was insulted.When he suffered,he did not threaten to get even.He left his case in the hands of God" (1 Peter 2:21-23 NLT). Or,as another translation has it, "he entrusted himself" to God.He was okay.He entrusted himself to God.

But we can't wait to offer our lives until we have our acts together.We don't get that luxury.If we did,would anyone ever feel like offering anything?God asks us to be vulnerable.He invites us to share and give in our weakness.He wants us to offer the beauty that he has given us even when we are keenly aware that it is not all that we wish it was.He wants us to trust him.

How it turns out is no longer the point.Living in this way,is a choice we make because it is the person we want to be.It is our loving response to our Lord's invitation.

Captivating. -John and Stasi Eldredge

Lets do it.