Practical Faith?

It was either my junior or senior year of high school when I read a powerful little book that I personally believe every Christian young lady should read: A Man Worth Waiting For by Jackie Kendall (Actually, it probably wouldn’t hurt all the young guys to give it a read either, it really is great!). While this book is slammed full of practical, godly advice for teenage girls, one quote in particular has resonated with me even now:

“You get what you settle for.”

It may seem like such a simple phrase to some, but I instantly fell in love with the powerful wisdom that saturated such few words.

Unfortunately, this quote wasn’t enough to keep me from settling a lot in the following few years anyway. I had always planned to go to a Christian university to pursue a major that I just knew God was going to use to allow me to be a part of something amazing. But when it came time to apply to colleges, I never even sent an application to the school I had already chosen. Instead, I sent out only two applications of enrollment, and neither of them to Christian universities but rather to small, (relatively) inexpensive universities close to home. I chose the closer, cheaper option of the two—the one that handed me a scholarship without even having to apply for it. And I mean, after all, the major I wanted to study was there too. However, it was only after I enrolled that I even visited the department, and as soon as I did, I realized that it was not at all like what I imagined it would be…and I didn’t want any part of it. Would I have felt the same way if I had enrolled at my original school choice? I’m not sure. But I do know that was the point in my life when I began to realize that settling for less than what God has in store for me is not only easy to do, but can be SO hard not to do, for lots of reasons.

I was scared. Terrified, really. I’d never been so far away from home that if I needed help from my parents, I couldn’t get it immediately.

I was lazy. if I could give you any advice about paying for school, it’d be this: It takes A LOT of work, but it’s do-able. And if hard work gets you into the college you need to be in, it’s worth it. Don’t just jump at the first school that offers you a scholarship. There are other scholarships and tons of fundraising ideas out there! I wish I realized that a lot sooner.

I was discouraged. Everyone gets it when you say the world discourages you from following God’s plans, but people are a little less understanding if you say His own followers do it too. All throughout my life I’d been advised to make only the most practical decisions‑­­‑decisions that required little faith in God because each plan had little risk to it.

Don’t get me wrong, practicality is important! You should never jump into a situation without thoroughly researching it. Yes, God gives us spiritual signs. He also gives us the ability to use discernment that comes through prayer and being studied up on the Word to distinguish between God’s voice and a fleeting desire. Sometimes, God calls us to act now. But there are several times when you’ll need to carefully think about situations before acting on them.

With that said, there is also point where “too much” practicality can become a hindrance to your faith--when you throw out God’s plan for your life because you’re scared it will leave you relying on nothing and no one but Him. And that is where a believer’s practicality becomes silly (which, ironically, is an antonym of practicality), because it goes against one of the core beliefs we as Christians should have about our Father—the belief that He is faithful and will be there to guide us. But, like I said before, all the advice that discouraged me from following God’s plans came not from unbelievers, but from all the Christian influences in my life: parents, youth pastors, and preachers! And do you know why? Yes, they were concerned for me. They didn’t want me to jump too quickly into a situation that’d I’d end up regretting. But they were also just as afraid of their own failure as I was of mine. Every single person that ever discouraged me from pursuing my God-placed dreams had given in to this same kind of practicality. Not one was willing to dive in head-first to the life God had planned for them. Rather, each one had become accustomed to simply standing at the water’s edge dangling their toes just above the water, knowing right when to snatch their feet back up to avoid getting even a little wet. And since they felt safe simply standing next to the water, they all encouraged me to do the same. And I did. And if you’ve never been faced with a decision like that, I hope you realize it is the one of the most dissatisfying feelings in the world to simply stand by the water’s edge when God has created you to dive headfirst into a richer life than you could ever imagine.  

And if you have experienced this like I have, know that it’s not too late to dive.

I’m STILL trying to figure out God’s plan for me. But I have determined that I will NOT LET fear, laziness, and discouragement keep me from figuring it out.

You have dreams, I know you do. God has placed dreams in your heart for you to follow them. And while chasing your God-given dreams can be an extraordinarily scary thing, settling for ordinary can be far scarier. Remember, you get what you settle for. Don’t settle for anything less than everything God has for in store for you.