"You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives." // Luke 21:17-19
I imagine myself standing in the crowd. Jesus paints a pretty grim picture. I will be persecuted, handed over by my friends and family, betrayed, and maybe even put to death. And yet after a litany of abuse He predicts that I will endure, He concludes that not a hair on my head will be destroyed and that my perseverance will secure my life.
Would I have followed Him? If I had been in that crowd with sandals on my feet, standing in the dusty earth? Would I have left to go home? Or would I have remained? If I knew that following Him would bring pain, would my faith in His divine power and the promise of everlasting life be strong enough?
Most of us are not asked to proclaim the truth of Jesus before kings or governors. We live in countries and communities where we are free to practice our faith. It is easy to pray behind closed doors and worship in peace and privilege at open churches. But when we are asked to walk outside our comfort zone and take risks with our evangelization, how do we respond?
I faced this in my own life in the past few years. When I was first invited by my diocese to host a podcast, I admit that fear almost kept me from turning on the microphone. When I was asked to write my first book, my discomfort with opening my heart to strangers threatened to keep the thoughts carefully locked in the computer file. Each time I am asked to speak, I still worry that someone will think what I say is unworthy of their time. But when I say yes to my calling to evangelize, what dies each time is my pride and in its place my humble trust in the Lord grows.
Following the Lord comes with risk, but when we aren't willing to risk our lives for Him, it is our eternal life that we risk losing instead. Are you ready to take the risk? Will you remain with Him?
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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