Be Radical

Love can transform any building into a home, but sometimes it seems that the love does not reach its way into the furthest niches of a house. From a child’s eyes, a few corners always contain the fear of impending doom. 

For me, the cellar was a place of dark secrets kept by menacing monsters. Mom, unaware of the danger, sent me on a mission of terror to the dark recesses of the basement to fetch a jar of luscious, sweet canned peaches.

I timidly opened the large wooden door that kept the long corridor of stairs from view. The fifteen steps into the darkness were painfully slow and well contemplated as I pictured in my mind the horror that awaited me. 

Finally finishing the painstaking journey to the basement, I slowly opened the second door at the bottom of the stairs, revealing the overwhelming darkness concealed behind. 

My heart pounding, I dashed around the corner and lunged at the light switch. I was saved! Light flooded into the large expanse of darkness, leaving only shadows in which the monsters could hide. 

My mind was racing as I pictured those horrible beasts. The black of the monsters sharply contrasted their beady yellow eyes that I could feel staring at my back as I headed toward the cellar. 

The large metal cellar door stood before me. I shivered as the cold steel of the knob met with my frail hands. As I cautiously turned the stubborn knob, an icy chill escaped the cellar, whispering in my ear the terror held within. 

I groped in the darkness for the second life-saving switch. Flicking that plastic piece of protection, my heart rejoiced to see the illuminated, sparkling jar of gold.

 I had found my treasure, my peaches. Clutching the golden jar of goodness in my arms, I retraced my steps to give my mother the prize. 

Childhood fears can control our minds as they cause us to imagine the world as a big dark place with monsters around every corner.

As Christians, we have a power greater than any dark monster in the corner, the power of Christ in us. The world is an evil place full of sin and deceit, but we are to shine in the darkness and bring those monsters out of the dark. 

We are given a job to do in Matthew 28:18-20. Our obedience is required. When mom asked me to fetch that jar of peaches, I obeyed even though I was terrified. When God calls us to His work, it can be terrifying; but Isaiah 51:7-8 tells us that we do not need to fear because the power that God has gifted us with is greater than all the evil in the world. 

Christians are called to be radical. We aren't to be quiet and indifferent. We must stand for truth. Jeremiah 1:17-19 powerfully shows God’s spiritual protection over those He has called to do His will. At the end of time, your service on this earth will be replaced with a city of gold. The glory of heaven will outweigh the struggles of this life.

Don’t be complacent. Don’t let your fear control you.

Go for Gold. Go for God.

Be radical.