A Day In The Life of a Risk Taker

June 7, 2017

A Day In The Life of a Risk Taker

She was about 10 years old the first time she spoke of traveling a great distance and I could see the zeal in her eyes. Some young people we knew were going on mission trips to places like Mexico and Africa. She told me she wanted to go to Africa. She would persist with this request to go to Africa for many months, even years I would suggest. The difference was, my daughter didn’t want to go with a group or team. She just wanted me to arrange for her to go and then send her alone. She was dead serious…she wanted to do it herself. To this day she will laugh when I bring this up and remind me that back then, despite my explaining why, she had no understanding of why I wouldn’t do it.

Her thirst for adventure and world travel has only grown as she has. She’s been able to see much of the United States and last summer ventures up the coast and then into Canada, but until yesterday, international travel had eluded her. Guess who she traveled with? No one. Oh, don’t worry, she is in a program and will he retrieved from the airport and has a nice apartment waiting for her along with other interns in her program, once she arrives…but this is her adventure. She even told me in the morning yesterday she was kind of happy her friend backed out and decided to do study abroad in Progue instead. She explained that when you go with a friend you still have some comfort zone left. This way she is fully out of her comfort zone and the adventure is her journey alone. A more mature version of the little 10 year old plea to see the world shinning through brilliantly.

This blog isn’t just an ode to my daughter, but Honor to a miracle working God. She knew for more than a year she’d take a summer trip abroad. She wanted Ireland. Last summer God shut the door and told her heart no. She didn’t even apply for anything because she is so faithful to include the Lord in all of her decisions. She was raised by parents who live by faith and has lived our intense faith journey to the extreme with us. I am witnessing the fruit of it in my adult child. She has crazy lid lifting faith that has power to stretch the faith of the young and old. Inspiring young soul with a heart of gold. But this year she knew…it was time.

She applied back in January and made a deposit on the trip of a few hundred dollars. Here’s where the miracles begin. I had told her it has to be God’s trip. We would help as God directed, but HE was going to pay for it. She agreed. So, God being who He is and His preference for a grand entrance full of intrigue is how He did it. We didn’t have one dime for that trip until two weeks ago. So, literally, I would tell people she was going to Ireland for the summer. As it got close people would ask when she was leaving. Those who aren’t believers or have very weak faith I would reply, early June (knowing full well I had no clue, that was just the goal). But for more seasoned believers or to whom I was lead to share I would say, “We don’t know. We still need this many thousands of dollars to pay for it before we can even think of the outside expense of a plane ticket.” It was both humorous and difficult to witness the facial expressions we’d receive at that point. So much money with so few days seems…well…impossible.

Most people are natural doubters and cynics. But God doesn’t care about the systems and strategies of man. He does things His own way and we knew He had a plan.

Two weeks ago my daughter called me, pulled off the side of a road with brake issues on her car. I told her to hold tight and I’d be over. By the time I reached her she had gotten an email from her professor telling her he found a scholarship for her for her trip. It was several thousands of dollars. She had already found another scholarship, but she has to be enrolled in school to receive it. So she has no access to it until fall. This will help us in the future but for today not at all because you can’t reimburse what you don’t have. Anyway, little by little, over the final two week span money began coming in. My girl was getting excited. She had a Bible study group of fellow kids she had been testifying to. Leading up to the miracles they began to encourage her to open a go fund me account or go talk to “so and so”. In her heart she knew that wasn’t God’s plan, but she wasn’t sure. So she prayed and asked a God to tell her Mom in a dream or by her pen how to respond. She did not share any of this with me.

The following morning in my devotions the Lord spoke to me about my daughter. He talked about His design for this trip and assured me of her joy and pleasure in it, but then he said something so interesting and very direct. He specifically said,

“I am not interested in the strategies of man. I do things my own way.”

When I shared with my daughter I learned of her pressure and cares and her prayer and I realized God was specifically answering her question through me though I knew nothing of her prayer. Now, we are not critical of go fund me accounts and letters of appeal for support. God is unique and can do what He wants. But as for now, our family has done so much extreme faith living that isn’t His expectation for us. It seems a bit like a bar too low. We just pray, say very little to anyone actually, then we watch God talk to others and open doors and bring Favor without us having to say much of anything.

It’s a roller coaster I won’t pretend it’s easy. But who doesn’t love the thrill of a roller coaster? I’d much rather have the roller coaster than the merry go round.

Four days out from her trip. We are still a little short, but not much compared to what God had provided thus far. The program is pressing her to pay the balance so they can get her room and ride ready. Alex is peaceful but beyond stressed. I am sitting with her and encouraging her with how God’s got it and our stress isn’t going to change anything. We have to continually surrender everything. It’s His trip. She agreed and then within 3 minutes (this is no exaggeration!) she had two people contact her and tell her God told them to give her money for her trip. Another few people gave her late birthday gifts and decided to include some spending money for her trip. By dinner time Friday we had it. But we still had to purchase a plane ticket. We didn’t know what God was up to, but even though it looked ominous–less than 5 days out out from flying overseas. I can only imagine how costly! But I knew it was ok. I suggested to my husband we check my frequent flyer miles. We have used His for our kids more than once, but mine have never been touched. Maybe it would take the edge off the sting? That same day I was able to text my daughter who was in a meeting, surrounded by her young friends who had been witnessing her stoic and resolute faith for six months, that we were able to purchase her ticket with frequent flyer miles and so had enough to send her for free! All we had to pay was the taxes and a fee. She was going!

The morning of her departure she received another bump in her plans. We began to pray immediately what to do. It was a big enough bump that anyone could say, that’s it, it’s over, it’s delayed. But we all came in agreement that we proceed and she go ahead and leave. My daughter once again, had opportunity to share with one friend about our last minute trial.

This young person’s faith is growing leaps and bounds just by watching my daughter take risky steps of belief. Alex replied to him by saying, “I’m still getting on the plane.” Her friend was astonished yet enthused. He replied, “So this one will make it what, miracle number 5?” But my daughter’s response is what blesses me the most.
She said to him…

“My friend, this is just a day in the life of a McBride.”😉

Risky faith requires courage, belief, and an understanding that when all the systems of man say “whoa”, but God is saying “go”, you continue to go and attempt to move forward no matter what opposition besets you. It is in the perseverance and speaking as though the faith filled promise is complete, a done deal, long before anything happens in the natural. Most people step out, but then shrink back as soon as they face opposition or attack of the Enemy. God doesn’t work like that. He works through our obedience to complete what He has set us to do. If we keep walking, He keeps talking to the dynamics of your situation and changes the atmosphere and produces the desired outcome.

Because my daughter dared to believe for a lofty, out of reach and very expensive trip and did not waiver, she saw it come to pass. Most people would have been scared off by the lofty price tag. God accomplished deeper faith in her as we all agreed this is her first personal faith story to the extreme on her own, outside of her parents covering. I think it is a spiritual rite of passage for her. I have no doubt she went to a new level of authority in Kingdom business as an Ambassador of Christ.

All the delays and gloomy appearance did something else…

Remember I mentioned all her friends who watched and listened and made suggestions? These young people, each one, were raised by parents who take risky faith like my husband and I. Each had decided they didn’t want to live by faith because they saw how hard it was. They each desired security and predictability. A lesser blessing really. But God used Alex to stir their belief and desire to yield more fully to bigger thinking, bigger steps of faith and a deeper understanding of God’s exaggerated grace.

How about you? As a Believer are you really taking advantage of the authority you have? Do you understand that God is your Source for everything? There really is no security outside of Him. He is the Source of all things and He decides what He blesses and what He does not. So why not live bigger? Why not crave more? Why not take an adventure? All it takes is a yielded heart and a willingness to do as He directs you. But you’ve got to be in His Presence. You must linger at His feet and drink deeply of His love and goodness. You must fire your soul as He smelts it like gold. It’s a beautiful journey.

Dare to Believe…

~Nicole

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