Common Sense

   "If a man is going to do anything worth while, there are times when he has to risk everything on his leap, and in the spiritual domain Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold by common sense and leap into what He says, and immediately you do, you find that what He says fits on as solidly as common sense." (Oswald Chambers)

   Common sense sometimes becomes the enemy of accomplishing a daunting task. The mind wants to say that it is impossible, and that the risk of failure is much greater than any reward of doing. Common sense wants to take the safe road and not take a chance on everyone having the opportunity to say that you could not do it.

   A wise man (I think it was my Dad) said more than once, "Anything worth doing is worth doing wholeheartedly". Sometimes this is jumping with both feet into a job or project or endeavor that does not make much sense from a common sense viewpoint.

   In a spiritual sense, this jumping in can mean following the call of Jesus into an area where "angels fear to tread". Other people, and common sense too, can say "keep away", but, if I hear the call, my only right response is to do.

   Now I can see that this is great advice for a young man like my grandson, who is about to enter college this fall. A new world of possibilities is opening before him, opportunities to do something worthwhile, and also to be someone worthwhile. My prayer is that he will have the courage and vision to lay hold of these challenges and jump into them wholeheartedly. Not for personal fame and fortune, but from God's standpoint of service to others.

   Do I need to hear this lesson for myself? Sawyer will be 18 when he goes this fall, but I am a few years older than that. Is there something that I need to apply the same principles to? Does God have me still in pretty good health for a reason, or am I just taking up oxygen?

   Now that is a possibility worth considering. Maybe I too need to keep listening for a call.

   "Open my ears Lord and help me to listen."