When being responsible isn't the responsible thing to do...

I’m a responsible person. Really, I am. I’m also practical. Painstakingly practical. To a degree that annoys a lot of people... but mostly my wife. And I like to think I can be pretty objective and rational, even in the midst of an emotional situation. Whatever I am, I’m definitely NOT somebody who just quits a job without having another job in the works. Or a plan. Or a good idea of what a possible plan might look like. Or… well, much of anything. That wouldn’t be rational, or practical, or responsible. So I would NEVER do something like that.

BUT… I sorta… did. (See my December 21 post.) Now, to be fair, it wasn’t a half-baked decision based on emotion. I counted the cost and weighed the options and made an informed, thought-out decision to do what I believed was right. There was even a practical reason behind it—I simply believe it doesn’t make sense for a church the size of mine to have two full-time pastors and that the resources being used for me could be better utilized in other ways. But then there’s that whole other God putting this weird idea in my head to quit my job and wait on him to show my wife and me the next step thing thrown into the mix, too. But still, my decision was thought-out, deliberated, discussed, stirred with a good measure of prayer, baked fully, and topped with a sweet, sugary dollop of faith. It just so happens that this particular decision defies virtually all conventional wisdom. It seems IRrational, IMpractical, and IRresponsible.

But here’s the thing. Sometimes God calls his followers to be irrational, impractical, and dare I say irresponsible, at least by the world’s standards. In the midst of a Jewish culture that was often more than a little hostile toward people of the Way, Jesus sent out his young believers with these instructions: “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick” (Matthew 10:9-10a NLT). THAT isn’t rational, or practical, or responsible. Not by anyone’s definition. Then, after he’d given their marching orders he dropped this little nugget of encouragement: “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves…But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers” (Matthew 10:16-18a NLT). Wow, sounds like fun! Ready to sign up? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Me neither. But the truth is, those very risks—beatings, imprisonment, etc.—are the reality faced by believers all over the world, even today. The question for those of us living in the good ‘ole U.S. of A, though, is, “What does it look like to obey Jesus’ call to this kind of faith-filled living here and now?” For me at least, it looks like taking this crazy step of faith and seeing where it leads. Even if it seems irrational, impractical, and irresponsible. And it probably does.