What Would You Do if You Were Not Afraid?
September 8, 2010
Excerpt from Luke 18:18-30
"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."
Reflection by Lillian Daniel
What would you do if you were not afraid? What would you do if you had no chance of failing? Spend some time in prayer with those two questions and see where God leads you.
Sometimes it is our family members who get in the way. They want the best for us, but they are scared we will get hurt or will fail. So they steer us toward the safe course rather than toward the risky one. Could you follow your heart's desire anyway?
Sadly, sometimes our family members do not want the best for us. A husband brings home a box of doughnuts for his wife who is trying to lose weight. He pretends to be generous but he is sabotaging her. He doesn't want the status quo, or the balance of power, to change. Can she make a healthy change anyway?
Sometimes we have to walk away from our family members in order to follow Jesus. Sometimes we have to shut out their comments in order to hear God's calling more clearly. Sometimes we have to do something they don't want us to do. And Jesus says, sometimes you have to do it anyway.
Prayer
Dear God, what would I do if I weren't afraid? What if it separates me from my family? If it is your will for me to step away from my family, walk with me anyway. Amen.
