Ruthless Trust!

         In the 2 months prior to my departure from Germany I had the privilege of being hired at O’Henry’s Coffee in Homewood. In one of the many conversations struck up behind the counter, I made a new friend in one of our regulars. We began talking about the idea of living life in the freedom of Christ without the limitations of man’s approval and self deprecation.  This book is speaking to my soul along with the past two messages from Stephen Spanjer of Neuenburg International Church.  

From Brennan Manning’s Ruthless Trust:

         “To live without risk is to risk not living,” my paternal grandma used to say. The way of trust is risky business, no doubt about it. To change careers suddenly because one feels unfulfilled, to assume the energy-depleting care of elderly parents, to retreat for three days of silence and solitude with Jesus without climbing the walls, to volunteer for a summer in the sub-Sahara with only meager spiritual resources, to take an unpopular position with rumblings of hear in the background, to conquer fear and disillusionment when one finds untrustworthiness where least expected- all of thee challenges require a willingness to risk a journey into the unknown and a readiness to trust God even in the darkness.

         A person should not act impulsively of course. A careful discernment process involving family, friends, and a spiritual mentor should recede every major decision. But when the appropriate time comes, only the disciple with an unflinching trust in God will dare to risk. And that trust is not naïve- it knows that the possibility of making a mistake and getting hurt is very real. But without exposure to potential failure, there is no risk.”

Thus, I define the past decade of my life: of pursuing classical music, facing insecurity in relying on my imperfect sight, of beginning new relationships, and now f coming to live in Germany. Without risk for me there would have been much les freedom and without failure, much less experience of the beautiful gift of grace.