Has anyone ever told you you’re crazy?
If you’re like me, your family and friends may not use those exact words, but their shocked reactions tell it like it is. “You’re crazy!”
It can be an honor really. We’re daring. We’re different. We don’t conform to the norm. I like being a little bit crazy. It means we’re unpredictable. We’re interesting. We love doing things that other people wouldn’t dare. Like skydiving and eating scorpions and racing cars. To some it’s craziness. But secretly they know it’s awesome!
There’s a big distinction, though, in craziness. Being crazy, as in fabulous, is far different than being crazy, as in foolish.
Is it good to be crazy fabulous? Absolutely! Crazy foolish? Not so much. How do we know what kind of crazy we are? Everyone’s crazy meter will be different so we can’t apply a blanket determination of Fabulous v. Foolish to stunts and activities. But there’s another aspect of life where people often think we’re foolish because they just can’t understand. And that’s our faith.
Before I knew Jesus, I thought people who talked about Him were crazy. Truly loco!
I believed in God. I knew Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins. I thought I was going to heaven. I prayed and could recite a few passages of Scripture. But talking about a relationship with Jesus? Believing that He lives in us today through the Holy Spirit? That was just weird. Those people were weird. And usually nerdy.
But one day I had an encounter with Jesus. One day my whole world changed. And on that day, my understanding of fabulous v. foolish changed.
On that day, I surrendered my life to Jesus. Standing in my room, I peeled off my old life like a wetsuit, pushed it to the ground and stepped out of it. Then I walked forward to Jesus, promising never to go back to my old life. And I never did.
The details of my life didn’t change overnight. But I did. I changed because God was now residing in my heart. Over time, I was transformed from the inside out. Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, redeemed my life. He changed everything about me: my words, my thoughts, my beliefs, my desires, my passions. Even my strengths and weaknesses. I surrendered all, and He began using my story for His glory.
All this talk about Jesus and a transformed life may seem foolish to you. I understand. I used to think that too. But God promises that if we come to Jesus, we will be saved. Saved for eternity. Saved for the here and now to be His light in the world’s dark places. And what seemed foolish to us before suddenly becomes the power of God in our life. It becomes the power of God in us.
If today you think this talk of Jesus sounds foolish, at least consider the “what if”. What if it’s true? What if the stories of transformed lives are true? What if people like me really do see something more? What if God really does have the power to change you? He alone can give you new life. New hope. New purpose.
Fabulous or foolish?
I’m living proof that faith in Jesus opens the door to God’s power in our life. Crazy or not, I want to tell people about what Jesus has done for me. Because I now understand that what I used to think was foolish is actually the most fabulous gift we can ever receive.
“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
May I pray?
Jesus, sometimes people who talk about you seem utterly foolish to us. And so we discount what they say and believe it’s foolish too. But Lord, there comes a time when we don’t know what’s true anymore. We know there must be more to life. We want to believe in heaven, and we wish we could know for sure that we’re going there. Lord, I lift up to You anyone who is struggling to know the truth. Anyone who is doubting. Anyone who wants to know more about You but doesn’t know where to start. May they pray to You today even if they’re not sure what to say. And may You reveal Your fabulous power in their heart and in their life. Amen.
Q4U: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?