*This is an excerpt of a paper that I wrote as a reflection of reading David Platt’s book Radical.
As an American, we live in a time in which American History tells us that all men and women are created equal, however our American lifestyles reflect differently. We judge one another, we criticize those that do not believe in Christ, we allow the opinions of others to manipulate our lifestyles and lead us closer to or further away from Christ. We allow the comfort of knowing where our next meal comes from settle in our spirit and not thank God for the opportunity to eat. We are so comfortable living the American Dream that we have forgotten the great commission.
A few weeks ago, I went to Jamaica, and on my trip, I expected to see palm trees, clear blue water, beautiful white sand, and so much more. I expected to enjoy a couple days in paradise and enjoy the opportunity to travel outside of the country. Don’t get me wrong, I did just that, I enjoyed a beautiful day at the beach. I soaked up the sun, splashed in the water, had a good ol’ time, however, our second day in Jamaica was completely different and I truly had a very humbling experience. I met two people that truly did not know where their next meal would come from, but they trusted God and ministered to us Americans as if we had never heard of Jesus before. They trusted God within every aspect of their lives, and though they were dependent on how well we tipped them, their faith in God was unmeasurable. They taught me the true definition of faith in God. Thus, when I came back home, I was thankful for my two bedroom apartment, my car, the food that was still in my refrigerator. I was thankful for the things that I take for granted because as an American I feel entitled to these things whereas my Jamaican friends struggle while making $60 per week with a childcare tuition of $15 per week. This trip put my American habits into perspective, but not only that, I know I would not have ministered to a group of strangers as they did. These people were comfortable within their Christianity, but their comfort was to tell of the goodness of Jesus.
As American’s we have gotten so comfortable with a lifestyle in which we have access to pretty much anything with the snap of a finger. We do not trust God within every aspect of our life. We do not let Him lead our every step and praise Him when things do not go our way. We live in a place that God revolves around our lifestyles instead of us revolving around Him. We live in a place where saying Merry Christmas is unethical because the greeting may offend someone that does not believe in Christ, yet some non-believers celebrate the day by purchasing gifts for one another. We live in a time that sin is thrown in our face every day via network television and we accept it and cannot wait until the next week for the next episode. Overall, we have allowed sin to set into our day to day lives and are accepting it while claiming that we live for Christ.
As Americans we have allowed Christianity to fit our lives, versus mold our lives. We have fallen victim to not allowing God to be the head of our lives but rather rest in the shadow and pull him out when we need him. We are reliant on our nine to five job to provide food and shelter, and would rather do anything but tell of the goodness of Jesus to lost souls.
So many Christians are content with where they are within their walk that we as Christians are missing out on opportunities to minister and make new disciples for the Kingdom of God. We put ourselves on such a high pedestal that we cannot relate to other’s that are not like us, but overall, the Lord is commissioning us to be the salt and the light. We as Americans have allowed the comfort of security, success, safety, and so much more to trump the promise of eternal life in Him.
Let’s get out of our comfort zone and live a life according to the will of God.
Diligently Graced 