Author | Steve

[This is the second blog of a two-part series. You can read Part 1 here.]

“No matter how scary the jump looks, if Jesus can be trusted, what area of your life is He inviting you to lay down and stop trusting more than Him?”

This was the ‘dangerous question’ I posed in my first post. It’s actually a question that we are invited to ask over and over again in our walk of faith. Luther called it a daily dying to self in the waters of our baptism, so we can rise to the new life Jesus has for us. From the beginning of this trust adventure, we have recognized (though often been slow to trust) that every invitation of Jesus to receive His gifts also invites us away from something else…often our own need to control things, or at least feel like it. Hence the name and tagline of our site: “Dropnets.com, one family’s story of leavings and findings.”

An Invitation to Leave

Quite honestly, I think many of us would love to leave parts of our lives behind and never look back. But what if Jesus invited you to ditch the things that feel most solid in order to lean into the things that feel most scary? Then what?

What if Jesus invited you to ditch the things that feel most solid in order to lean into the things that feel most scary?

My natural response has mostly been to ignore those promptings from the Spirit of Jesus; to bury them under hard work and effective ministry. That way, I can justify myself to Him, and no one else will be the wiser to what is actually going on inside of me. But ignoring the Spirit of Jesus is not a good thing.

No Earthly Explanation

What this has meant for us this year is that our life and our actions look…well…crazy! We know this not only because people say it, but especially because we experience it almost daily. How do you explain leaving regular income, plenty of room for all six of us, and calendars and plans for the unknown? I can’t. At least I can’t explain it in a way that makes human sense. But what Jesus has done in me and my family through this time of leaving the solid things and leaning into the scary things with Him at the helm…well, it’s more than anything I could have dreamed up on my own!

And isn’t that how God works? Think of Abraham. Think of Mary. Think of the disciples. Over and over in scripture God invites people to leave the things that seem so stable and foundational to discover Him and the richness of who He is.

Over and over in scripture God invites people to leave the things that seem so stable and foundational to discover Him and the richness of who He is.

For me, this has meant a letting go of my plans and especially my trust of money. I still suck at this many days. For me, money in the bank is my idol. No doubt about it. Tied to that is a deep desire to see a regular flow of funds into that reservoir of safety and hope. Jesus has been both patient and firm in leading me to something better. It scares the crap out of me regularly! But He just keeps being faithful!

A Holy Insanity

I think what Jesus has called us to looks completely insane and foolish! And, I’m convinced He is calling us to it! In the trusting, He is proving to be a much better reservoir for our family than my hard work and bank account. I wouldn’t call it “safe.” It’s better than that! It’s a life where there’s always enough light to battle the darkness. It’s a life that doesn’t constantly have to manufacture purpose and hope, but receives it daily as He gives it. It’s a life that regularly experiences miracles of His Spirit because we actually need them. It’s a life that is learning to suffer well because of His completed work which produces perseverance.

He is proving to be a way better reservoir for our family than my hard work and bank account.

If you had told me fifteen months ago that I would be without a regularly paying job for a year, that we would be sojourners for six months and then move into a 550 square-foot house, I might have had a stroke. Today, I see God’s love written all over this! I see His heart for me and my family. I see His jealousy for us. I see that His ways are higher than my ways.

I can’t wait to see where Jesus will lead us next! I trust Him more than my bank account most days now…and I’m still afraid enough to almost wet my pants.