Am I Crazy?

Getting involved with full-time ministry can sometimes make you feel absolutely crazy. It can strip you naked and reveal the deepest insecurities. You begin to ask questions like, Am I going to be financially stable? Will God continue to prove his faithfulness? Will other respond to my vision and support this mission?

Then add marriage into the equation and the questions become Are we? Are we going to make it financially? Will God to be faithful to us? Will others respond to our mission?

As a husband and a ministry leader, I can sometimes question my own mind. Am I going crazy? Have I completely lost it?

This question begins to consume every though and leads to loneliness and an unsettled heart. Then its becomes a constant seeking over affirmation from others. Am I doing the right thing or have I gone crazy? The best answer would be, No you’re not crazy. You’re fine. You’re right where you should be.

But that answer never comes. A few years ago I attended a conference for ministry leaders. I had the opportunity to speak with those in attendance. I met man who rents a football stadium to invite fathers and sons for an event of shared testimonies and singing songs. I met a leader of a motorcycle gang that drives around and does volunteer yard work for elderly. I met a family who moved their entire livelihood to Alaska to pursue a ministry opportunity.

The more I talked with these leaders the more I realized how crazy they were. They were faith filled and passionate–but mostly crazy. It was then that I realized the answer to my own question, Am I crazy?

Yes, you are crazy, but God uses crazy people to see the kingdom expanded. You are crazy, but you’re not alone.

It was not the answer I was looking for, but it’s exactly what I needed to hear. It was the affirmation I needed.

The early apostles were absolutely crazy. They had not formal training, but they boldly followed Christ and formed the foundation of the church. They were ordinary people who had gone crazy for God.

Imagine if radical was the new normal? What if we embraced and even encouraged the craziness of faith? How would the world change?

Of course we need wisdom and courage. But doesn’t it seem like often “wisdom” is being used as an excuse for not taking risks? We prefer to play it safe and rest on in our comfort-level, but then wonder why we aren’t being used by God to make kingdom impacts. The modern church has declawed the lion of the tribe of Judah and presented him to the world of a docile house cat. But our Lord cannot be tamed and eventually believers will come to realize that they’ve invited a lion into the living room and he’s ready to tear up the house.

The world needs Christians who have gone crazy–those who are willing to take great risks to see God’s kingdom expanded. For too long we’ve settled for those who are only interested in refining what we’ve always done. Today’s culture has become not only immure, but intolerant of traditional Christianity. It’s time for radical. Refuse comfort and ease. Go crazy!