A Different Kind of Radical

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

When I take a step back and look at my life, it seems pretty boring. I go to work, maybe Bible study or an activity with friends, go to sleep, and repeat. Throw in some hanging out with my family, grocery shopping and running errands, church and youth group on Sundays, and my life is pretty well summed up. Nothing about it screams “Radical!” or even “Slightly unusual!” Because from the outside, it’s not.

Sometimes when I hear about people who are living in Africa telling people about Jesus, or who have sold nearly all their possessions to give to the poor, I feel a little guilty. If they’re doing all that for God, then surely whatever I’m doing is meager and petty in comparison. I might as well quit even trying, because I don’t seem to be capable of that kind of radical.

We see the grandiose, dramatic things people do and wonder if they count more for the kingdom of God than our routines full of classes, soccer practice, meetings, and laundry. 

Yet I wonder if our view of “living radically for God” has gotten warped. At its very core, there’s something radical about following Jesus and seeking to live like him. When we look at the messages fed to us each day, many of them encourage us to pursue things for our own ultimate benefit, whether it’s a high-profile job, a glamorous house, or relationships that are all about our own wants and desires. The focus is almost entirely on us and what we can get from things.

 In Luke 9, Jesus calls several different people to follow him, and his comments to them are not exactly supportive. He doesn’t tell them that by following him they will become famous, acquire riches, or even make new friends. Instead, he tells them almost the exact opposite—life with Jesus means being willing to give up all of that. And not just give up what we may already have, but give up the life of pursuing those things to pursue him above all else.

So maybe Jesus’ call to order our lives after him is more radical than it seems. Instead of one big radical moment, what if our lives are made up of a tiny thousand radical moments? Of moments of conscious decision-making to order our lives not as society tells us to or as we ourselves may want to, but ordering it so that everything falls in line with what God tells us to pursue? While jobs, houses, relationships, and many other things can be good, they are not what Jesus tells us is best. He is best. When we seek him, we may find those other things as well, but there is no guarantee. And to seek him above all else, knowing it may cost us what we really want, is, in itself, radical.

It’s not a flashy kind of radical. Living radically in the everyday moments may go unnoticed by most people, but it will not go unnoticed by God. 

[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. You can read more of her musings on her own blog or follow her on Twitter @bwitt722.]