The other day I was watching a program on PBS that was interesting. It was a family who inherited a sailboat and decided to make a life of sailing around the world. The couple had been career people with college degrees, but got tired of the American routine of have a house, two car garage, two cars, schools, soccer games and the occasional eating out. They as a family, including their children decided to take a chance and go exploring. They home schooled or boat schooled and made port frequently and explored. When they got low on cash the husband would get a job doing just about anything he could until they made enough money to move on. The children would enroll in the local public school and learn a new language. They were very close as a family because they were all they had. It was definitely close quarters, but they learned how to adjust and realized they really didn’t need all that extra space. It was very interesting.
Of course all their friends thought they were nuts. Why, because they stepped outside the norm. Anytime anyone steps outside the norm they are considered crazy. Sometimes they might be, but first you have to determine what the norm is. What is normal? It is society as a whole doing the same thing and it could be right or wrong. To step outside of this makes your weird or a freak. It could also be termed as stepping outside “The Comfort Zone.”
The only encouragement these people received was from elderly people. They told them what they were doing was great because they said, if you wait to do all of this when you retire or have enough money, then you probably won’t do it. He said it was wise to do this while they were young and could. When you are old, then it’s too difficult, but when you do it when you’re young you will have the ability and something to look back on when you get older. He said, you won’t have any regrets as many do when they look back and wish they would have done this or that.
I’m not trying to get anyone to go buy a sailboat and start cruising around the world. I for one don’t really have any interest in doing that and not even when I was younger. I have been criticized for many of the adventures I’ve had. That’s ok! It was mine to do.
What I’m really getting at is when you take a stand to follow Christ you will be criticized. I’m not talking about criticism from non-believers. I’m talking about fellow Christians. I’m not talking about becoming a radical. I’m just talking about doing it God’s way and listening to what He says in His Word. If you don’t believe me, then try it and see what happens. Christians don’t like being taken out of there comfort zones anymore that anyone else. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
Jesus never said it would be easy to follow Him. The norm in the church is not the same as God’s norm. Even though He never said it would be easy, He did promise to always be with us. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
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