Connecting the Dots: What God Is Doing When Life Doesn't Make Sense预览

The Decision

After the turning point, after summoning the courage to move forward while listening to the guide, there comes a point when you have to go all in. You have to decide to fully commit to moving ahead.

Like Tarzan, swinging from vine to vine in the jungle, you’ll have to let go of the vine you’re holding now and grab the new one which hasn’t been fully tested yet. If you decide to hold on to both vines, just to be safe, you’ll be left dangling in the jungle, arms stretched between them, stuck.

The only way to move forward is to fully engage and be present with the journey ahead. You’ll have to stop researching and analyzing and just live it out. Surrender the outcome and go all in. The good news is this: If you commit to the path, a way will open to you.

I think one of the reasons it's so hard to let go of a past season and fully commit to the new journey is because we have a general idea of what total commitment will cost us. Sure, the adventure promises some rewards, but we also know it’s going to mean sacrifice. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

But we only get the full benefits of following Christ when we go all in.

When Jesus was on Earth, He invited all sorts of people to follow Him. One guy wanted to join the crew but said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Sounds like a reasonable request to me. Family is important, after all. Right?

But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another guy said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Sweet, loving, compassionate Jesus didn’t seem to have patience for a halfway commitment. I don’t think he was trying to be harsh. I think his insistence on total commitment was actually loving. Jesus knew that it’s only when you fully commit that you get the benefits and rewards in the life of faith.

You only get abundant life when you go all in. It’s a package deal. If you only partially commit, you’ll just be miserable. Like a guy (basically) told me once, “Before I followed Jesus, I didn’t feel guilty for taking advantage of people. Now I do. It was a lot easier when I was just living for myself.” Some people have just enough of Jesus to be miserable. They feel horrible for not being what they know they could be but never lean into the power He offers to be all they could be. They keep holding onto their old life—habits, mindsets—and end up like Tarzan, dangling between two vines in no man’s land.

So today, let me ask you a question: What will it take to go all in and commit to being present in this season? I want to encourage you to pray, seek counsel, and then make the decision to totally commit to the journey of this season. Because once you commit, you can truly embrace the adventure God has for you. Which is what we’ll talk about next: the adventure.