Take the Plunge!

 “Deep down inside, all of us long for more.  Sure, the tamed part of us grows accustomed to the safety of the cage.  But the untamed part longs for some danger, some challenge, some adventure.  And at some point in our spiritual journey, the safety and predictability of the cage no longer satisfies.  We have a primal longing to be uncaged.  And the cage opens when we recognize that Jesus didn’t die on the cross to keep us safe. Jesus died to make us dangerous.”

                                               Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase,  pg. 6

Mark Betterson is the pastor of the National Community Church in Washington, DC.  A successful church planter, author and speaker, Mark has a keen understanding of God’s challenge for us to move past the ordinary and pursue the extraordinary.  I met Mark in the summer of 2010 in Cusco, Peru where we were both a part of a leadership conference that spent four days hiking the Inca Trail which winds through the Andes Mountains.  Our trek ended at Machu Picchu, the ancient city of the Incas.   During that week, Mark Batterson challenged us to move from the mundane to the miraculous.  He identified six cages that we often “choose” to live in because of the safety and predictability they offer.  He taught us that our God calls us to live by faith and that means coming out of the cages, taking some risks, and living dangerously for the glory of the Almighty.  I would like to pass this challenge on to you.

In his book, Wild Goose Chase, Reclaiming the Adventure of Pursuing God, Batterson identifies six cages that we as Christians have been delivered from but often choose to remain captive in.  They are the cage of responsibility, the cage of routine, the cage of assumptions, the cage of guilt, the cage of failure, and the cage of fear.  To put it simply, these cages represent the things in our lives that hold us to a life of self-imposed limitations.  God has not only freed us from these bars of restraint, but He has also given each of us a deep desire to chase hard after Him; to follow Him wherever He leads at whatever the cost.   However, because these cages represent safety and predictability, we often choose them over an exciting, unpredictable and even dangerous pursuit of God. 

 Here is an example from my own life.  One hot summer day when I was a kid, my buddies thought it would be a great idea to jump off a bridge into the river below.  (Now I am not recommending this as a summer activity and realize that it is probably against the law in most states.  However, I was a kid growing up in Bessemer City, NC and jumping off a bridge was our Disney World.)  There was just one problem; I have this innate fear of heights.  I don’t make much of it and have for the most part been able to conquer it; but to this day, high places give me sweaty palms and if you look closely you will see a nervous grin.  I love the water though and wanted to join my friends, but standing on the bridge looking down from that perch was almost too much to bear.  Then, like a bolt of lightning, the thought occurred to me that the best way to alleviate the height problem and experience the joy of the cool water below was simple:  just jump.  Once I left the bridge, height was no longer a problem.  (I discovered a new fear…falling!)  Then, seconds later the refreshing cool water surrounded me and I was so glad that I had taken the plunge.  No regrets!!!

On our trek through the Andes Mountains, (Remember my fear of heights?) Mark Betterson reminded me that some of the truly great blessings of God can only be obtained when we venture out of our cages and into a dangerous world full of enormous challenges and opportunities.  Multiple times in my life I have been reminded of the lesson learned when I stepped off that bridge many years ago; the blessings of God are worth the risks in taking the plunge.  So I leave you with this challenge.  Identify your cages.  Ask God to call you out of them and into a dangerous world full of opportunity, challenge and risks.  Do something hard for the glory of God.  Take the leap of faith.  Believe me, when the crisp, cool water of God’s own blessings surround you, you will be glad you did.  I sure was.  Thanks for reading.

 

Found this short video with some pics from the 2010 hike of the Inca Trail.  Enjoy.

http://mediastorage.cloversites.com/oldfortbaptistchurch/media_player/inca.mp4