Beam

It was merely a four minute video but it gave me great food for thought. His name is Francis Chan and Roger, my Sunday School teacher played Chan’s balance beam video at the beginning of class not as a prompt to his lesson on Luke but just as a shared youtube video that he had run across. I am sure I will not do it justice in relaying it in word so I hope that you will google it on your own: Francis Chan Balance beam video. It is funny, frank and challenging.    

In summary, Chan was barefooted and began the video by standing on the beam and telling a quick history of his life. Mom died at his childbirth, dad remarried, Step mom was killed in car accident when he was ten. Dad died a few years later.  Chan went to live with aunt and uncle, Aunt and Uncle got in a fight, uncle shot his wife and then Chan, at the age of 16 was left thinking what’s next? His point was that life is hard and it is so easy to stay in the confines of our own comfort zone in our Christian walk. The Christian life can become difficult at times and we stop acting the way God asks us to for fear of what might happen. This video was an excellent illustration that shows how sometimes, without realizing it, we stop living by and for Christ.   He eased down on the beam carefully situated himself in a prone position and held tightly to the bar with his hands and legs. He said this is often the routine position of Christians Got the picture. And while he was in position, holding tight, he called out the things that so many of us can relate to, hanging tight to family, not venturing out in no man’s land, aiding our children to live in a bubble, and not doing anything crazy because we might fall into territory that would cause us to have to ramp up our faith, and die quietly in our sleep in the middle of a wonderful dream. He contested that we, as Christians,  too often live carefully rather than faithfully. Then he slowly dismounted and then stood erect, with his arms straight up in the air as a gymnasts would do before a judge. Chan then asked the audience "what is the judge going to do about this"?  Say, “great job and give you a ten”?

It hit me because I do just that.  I live within the confines of family and friends and comfort zones.  Sure I do some crazy adventurous stuff but it isn’t for God it is for me. I think of these folks who go on mission trips to Africa or even my kids who have gone on mission trips to Mexico and New York and I have never ventured off to do that.  I think of folks who truly step out in faith and begin projects and work towards mission fields that seem to be pie in the sky activities that God has intercepted and made a reality.They are so many lofty endeavors that people are submitting to and serving the Lord through and I am not one of them, but this video sure has awakened my desire to know what else there is that God might want me to entertain as His adventure.  

Oh sure I can write, and I know that is a gift, and I do appreciate it for sure, but I have to ask am I hiding under this veil of contentment instead of further seeking out other opportunities that God would like for me to pursue for His service? I have written this today expressing my thoughts, but you too must have some of your own about what God is doing in your life and what it is that He wants you to pursue. Are you sitting comfortably on the balance beam, holding snugly to the security of loved ones and comfort zones or are you walking that beam in faith knowing that you very well can fall but you are faithfully forging in pursuit of God’s calling.  

The answer might well be: you and I  are just where God wants us to be but, if within our heart, we feel a nudge to do something that seems worthy but may not be possible in our own eyes, maybe it is the very thing thing that God is tapping us to pursue. I need to not only realize that nudge but have the courage to faithfully respond to it, asking God all the while to lead me and give me His wisdom and strength and desire to achieve it.

Just so I am not walking on this beam along, I hope that you too will consider faithfully asking God to prompt you to seek his will in your coming adventures. He knows how to balance our joys with adversities, our tears with laughter, our dreams with his blessings, and His purposes with our gifts.  Who knows where His path will lead but we can be guaranteed that wherever he leads us, it is for our good and his best purposes. Check out the Francis Chan video, it is worth seeing, and it might too spark a flame of interest in your heart as it did in mine.  

Proverbs 16:11

Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making.

Dear Lord,  Thank you for Godly teachers who yearn to bring the reality of your presence to the lives of their listeners by any means that they may find to be effective.  Amen  

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!