Insanity.
Thoughts on ordinary things done in extraordinary faith
They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
That sounds a little negative wouldn’t you say?
But I used to watch the skateboarders doing their tricks as the sunset over the park at Venice Beach.
“That’s insane,” bystanders would say.
And to me, that sounded like a good thing.
Overall, insanity has a negative connotation.
Oxford Dictionary describes it as, “extreme foolishness or irrationality.”
But sometimes I wonder if our love of rationality and logic has led us out of faith.
No matter how much you can map out the Bible to match modern takes on wisdom, there will always come to some point where you realize the Christian worldview is the most sane and yet often calls us to the most insane actions.
At least, in our eyes.
In other words, the gospel is very logical, but oftentimes times the things God leads us to do not make sense.
Most of the time I feel a little insane.
I’ll never forget this story from one of my beloved professors.
He told me he prayed for his brother for 20 years. His brother was deep in the worldview of astrology and new age, but it only led to depression and division between them.
After many decades of prayer, his brother decided to follow the way of Jesus.
For decades my professor prayed.
Over and over.
How’s that for doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?
I can’t seem to shake that there’s an element of insanity to the gospel.
And I’m not the first to point this out. A few years ago I picked up the book, Insanity of God by Nik Ripken.
It’s a book written about a man who traveled from Somalia to Russia to hear the stories of insane persecution, miracles, enemy love, and dedication to the Lord.
Recently my house church watched the movie, Free Burma Rangers about one man’s missionary journey of starting a resistance army in Myanmar (Burma) during the longest civil war in history. They bring that to the Middle East in the heart of ISIS taking Iraq. My husband says it’s one of the greatest movies ever made. Almost every scene has your jaw dropping and you can’t help but think, “This is insane”
I find more often than not I need these stories constantly to remind me of the insanity of God.
I easily forget what’s possible with Jesus.
It’s not that I don’t think we can live a life of faith in the mundane.
I believe we are meant to live a life of faith amidst the mundane.
And faith always seems to lead us to a certain amount of insanity.
When I think about those who have had the greatest impact on my faith, it’s not been speakers, best-selling authors, or Instagram influencers. It’s been martyrs.
I’ll never forget my second-grade librarian handing me this book, Jesus Freaks. I suppose it was a little mature for my age, but she must have known I was ready for it. It changed my life. I read stories of people willing to die at any cost for Love. I caught that there was a very important lesson on faith: Faith never gives up.
I still come back to those stories. Martyrs are my greatest teachers. They have taught me love, forgiveness, faith, and endurance more than any pastor.
In a world of voices, I think we’re most longing for examples.
And in a world of status quo, Jesus whispers a reminder that we are meant for insanity. It can look quite small, but as one lover of God once said, “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.”
I think that’s what it all comes down to.
The most insane stories I’ve heard are from those who are too busy following Jesus to promote themselves or share them loudly.
I have a pretty boring testimony. I grew up with awesome parents and a solid foundation. People always get hung up when they don’t have “cool testimonies.” But I always tell people your testimony doesn’t end when you start following Jesus, your testimony is what you do afterward with Him.
For some reason, we tend to believe the insane things God does are somehow “out there.” It happens in India, on mission trips, or with people who are more “gifted.”
But I think God is just waiting for people who have faith.
Faith that doesn’t give up.
Faith that is a little…insane.
I think I prayed for at least 50 people before I saw someone supernaturally healed.
I just couldn’t give up believing God was Healer.
What do you want to have faith for in your life?
That’s all I think He’s longing for: Faith that never gives up. It’s not that we expect different results because we’re crazy, but because through “faith and patience [we] inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12)
All for One,
