Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Risk, Faith, Vision, Trust

Recently the words quoted below have shook my mind and life up. When I first read them, they smacked me right in the face. I actually had to read them 3 times, and then to my wife. Check out these snips from a book I'm reading:

"Any vision worth pursuing will demand sacrifice and risk...You will find it necessary to leave what is comfortable and familiar. And all the while, you will be haunted by the fear that this thing you are investing so much of yourself in may not work out at all."

"Uncertainty in a leader is always magnified in the heart of the follower. John Maxwell says it this way: 'People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. People buy into the vision after the leader buys into it.'"

"Vision requires courage and confidence. It requires launching out as if you were absolutely assured of the outcome. Vision requires the commitment of a parachutist. You don't "sort" of parachute. You are either in the plane or in the air. You either do it or you don't. The tendency is to approach a vision the same way a first-time ice skater takes to the ice: cautiously, and never more than an arm's length from the railing"

Quite frankly I haven't been able to escape these words. God seems to remind me of them all day long. For some time I have a had a clear 'vision' from God as to what He really wants in and for me. I have always wanted to wait till I thought everything was perfect - as you know He rarely works that way. I have been, for a lack of a better expression, "sort" of parachuting and staying close to the ice rink railing.

Ever been there?

I look forward to the jump.

- Brad