well aware of it.

Do you ever feel like you are maybe a little crazy?   

The last few months I have been feeling like the world around me thinks I have lost a couple of my marbles.  The only strange thing is, I know it.

Take heart.  I think any Christian who is living out their faith is going to feel (and look) a little crazy.  And maybe the amount of crazy you feel should be an indicator for how good of a job you are doing at it. 

When I read the Bible, God tells me to “do nothing out of selfish ambition” (Phil. 2:3) when all around me the world tells me “look out for number one”.  Jesus tells me to “go make disciples of all men” (Matt. 28:19) while the world says “don’t talk about religion because you may offend someone”.  God tells me to "love your enemies" (Matt. 5:44), the world tells me to "love those who deserve to be loved".  Jesus tells me to “sell all you have and give it to the poor” (Luke 12:33), the world tells me to "get a 401K and save as much as you can". 

Which leaves me with a choice.  If I do what the Bible tells me, the world is going to think I am crazy.   But if I don’t, I am going against what my Maker has clearly told me to do.  Never once did He say "get comfortable, stay quiet, maintain status quo".  Trust me, I looked.

Personally, I want people to like me, and I would prefer if no one thought I was crazy.  But if it comes to what I want more—to be obedient to God or be well liked, being well liked will have to take a back seat.  So I guess that makes me a little crazy by this world’s standards, but points to the fact that I wasn’t made for this world. 

It makes me feel better to learn that Jesus knew this would happen.  He foreshadowed to believers “the world will hate you because of me” (Luke 21:17), and warned that “you cannot love the world and love me” (1 John 2:15).   He knew that what He was asking us to do would make us outsiders.

Leaving my job and working for a ministry that cares for orphans feels closer to what God wants me to do.  James said “true religion is this, to look after orphans and widows” (James 1:27).  I don’t really care to have a religion that gets me to church on Sunday morning but changes nothing about who I am or how I live.  I’m pretty sure that’s not what God had in mind, and I’m even more convinced that He’s not impressed by it.  I don’t know about you, but my only goal is to hear “well done” when this is all over.  If that makes me crazy, then crazy it is.