Yes, Crazy!

When I served a church in Florida, I had members from many different professions and walks of life. One was a yacht salesman, another ran a pizza parlor, and many were involved in real estate. But Jamie (name changed) was different.

Jamie was the daughter of two of our friends and marched to the beat of her own drum (in fact, she was an amazing percussionist). However, her day job was quite unusual: she was an alligator wrestler in a park near Orlando.

During a training conference in Orlando, Jamie's mother encouraged me to visit her daughter. I agreed and went to the wildlife park, where, sure enough, Jamie was inside an enclosure corralling an alligator. I said hello as I watched the drama unfold, and then she asked, "Hey... do you want to try?" In that moment, the "macho" side of my brain took over—the part that isn't about to say no to a challenge from a girl (and most women reading this will agree that this isn’t really much of a brain function at all). I replied, "Sure!" although my true answer wasn't quite that enthusiastic.

There I was, in the dirt and mud of Orlando, following instructions from this "expert" on how to grab, hold, and control a six-foot alligator. A voice in the back of my mind questioned, "What on earth are you doing, you idiot?"

After my alligator wrestling experience, I realized that sometimes the things we do in ministry are truly crazy! Both before and after that day, I had engaged in some pretty unusual acts in service to our Lord. 

This experience reminded me of God’s call for us to offer ourselves completely and totally. Joshua didn’t hesitate at God’s command to march around Jericho seven times, culminating in trumpets blowing and the walls falling down (Joshua 6). David boldly faced Goliath, an enemy over twice his size (1 Samuel 17). Jehoshaphat’s singers marched in front of the army, confronting the enemy with only music (2 Chronicles 20). Why would God hesitate to ask me to face an alligator in order to connect with a parishoner?

Let me simplify the message: 1) God’s plan doesn’t rely on my logic, 2) His reasons may or may not be clear when we are called to do something we perceive as crazy, and 3) God can even use our shortcomings (like my foolishness) to create connections for His kingdom.

Yes, I wrestled an alligator. Yes, it was a crazy (and probably foolish) thing to do. Yes, I share the story as a badge of courage, and yes, if God asks, I would consider doing something just as wild today. I wonder... what if we said yes to the tasks (even the seemingly crazy ones) that God asks of us? We might just become part of a world-changing movement!