Sabbath Devotional :: Steps Toward Unreasonable Discipleship

Have you read this book? My guess is that if we took a poll of the current US population, we’d find that not a lot of people alive now have. Originally published in 1896, it remains one of the best-selling books of all time, with more than 50 million copies sold, most here in the United States. To put that into perspective, when it was first published, the nation’s population was about 74 million people. In short, this book achieved an incredibly high level of cultural saturation, and if you were walking around America in the first part of the 20th century, you likely knew about it, you were familiar with the story and the premise, and the odds were very good that you had read it.

Charles Sheldon (himself a pastor) tells us the story of a midwestern Christian congregation and some of its most influential members. Following a traumatic event that exposes the shallowness of their discipleship, they make a year-long commitment to repeatedly ask how the Savior would act in their place, and then to do as he would; regardless of the resulting discomfort or inconvenience. The results are, as you would expect, both unsettling and transformative. Generally the rich and powerful become uncomfortable while the poor and the meek find some relief.

I read “In His Steps” when I was about 13. I found this book at home — it was a very old copy that had been gifted to my dad as he was serving in the Southern States mission – and even though it was quite old-fashioned it sucked me in. I read it twice in quick succession. It described a kind of discipleship that was new to me, one that asked that we all move beyond comfort and convenience to serve others. It demanded that we see and engage with those who are suffering, and that we take responsibility for the ways that our choices ricochet out into the world. Because of this book, I picked up the New Testament and read it through several times. And through that process I found that I deeply loved Jesus and decided that I wanted to live a life that honored him.

So this is the personal experience that comes with me every time I revisit the New Testament, and as we once again start to collectively work our way through it as a people, I have been thinking about the approach to discipleship that In His Steps presented to me. There are many ways that we can approach discipleship — in our faith we have fairly recently gone all-in on the framework of the covenant path. Methodical covenant making and determined adherence will keep us safe and moving forward. This is very LDS and very reasonable, it links us to God and shows results. After all, so much of belief is an endurance race.

But I think that even a superficial reading of the New Testament tells us that there is more to it than that. Ultimately believing in Christ and truly taking his name upon us requires us to be irrational. It requires discomfort. It asks us to move into spaces where only our discipleship will require us to go. It asks us to do messy, unpleasant, and self-sacrificial things. Mostly I think it is about very reasonable people deciding that perhaps their Christian faith demands unreasonable behavior. In a healthy and thriving community of saints we get the opportunity to test that out together and find support and encouragement while we do so.

Sheldon’s characters went all in and they went all in together. They determined that for a year they would completely disrupt their lives in order to align themselves with the Savior’s teachings. I’ll admit up front that I don’t do that, and I likely never will, and even reading the New Testament thoughtfully again is probably not going to result in me selling all that I have and giving it to the poor. But this year I have decided to take up a personal challenge to be much more unreasonable, and I’d like to invite you to join me.

Flip through the New Testament, reflect on the stories of Christ that resonate most deeply with you and pick a favorite, one that you feel personally called to emulate. Is it a story of feeding the hungry, or healing the sick? Is it sharing the good word of the gospel with people who are not so interested in hearing it? Is it being a voice for the oppressed or a gentle minister to the wounded? There are so many wonderful options to choose from. Then let’s determine together to be unreasonable in that one area. To look for ways to move actively into that space, to respond with true enthusiasm and limited reserve when we have the chance to meet that need. To do what Jesus would do and not count the cost.

(One caution, remember that this isn’t a challenge to change others. Or to tell them what they ought to be doing. But just to be personally unreasonable, as the Spirit guides you to be.)

I’m not sure exactly what would result if a small community of true believers got even just a little bit unreasonable, but I am fairly certain that it would be wonderful. And I am absolutely convinced that this unique community of women has it in us to make that happen. Let’s do it!

I would love to hear about one of your favorite stories of Christ’s unconditional and unreasonable behavior and why it resonates with you. Would you be willing to try to be unreasonable as you emulate that over the year? What could that look like?