“All-In” by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

         With friends in NYC, July 2001

            In a couple of weeks, I will be traveling to one of my favorite cities, New York City.  I spent some time working there in the 90’s and had a chance to truly experience the flavor of the City:  the amazing restaurants, Broadway shows and of course, the interesting shopping.

            However, New York City also represents a turning point in my life.  It is the place where God stopped me cold in my tracks and asked me “Are you all-in?” He used a devastating situation to get my attention.  In one week, I was not renewed on either of my television contracts and was reeling.  After about six months of asking “Why?” God answered me, saying I had not used my national platform to glorify Him.  He had to take it away from me to get my attention.  Now that he had it, I had to make a decision, “Was I all-in?”

            At some point in each of our Christian walks, the Holy Spirit will ask us, “Are you all-in?”  Some of us will say “yes” and others will say, “not right now.”  It’s tough to be all-in.  To follow Christ wherever He asks you to go requires sacrifice.  When Jesus called the disciples who had made their living as fishermen, Scripture says they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him (Luke 5:11). That had to be scary. The unknown always presents challenges.  Jesus comforted them saying, Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.

            A certain rich young ruler was not able to make the commitment.  When the affluent young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him sell everything you have and give to the poor (Luke 18:22). The man went away sad because he could not make the commitment to be all-in. Most of us are not asked to give up everything we own by Jesus, but if we were, could we do it?

            Even in Old Testament times, God asked those he desired to use, “Are you all-in?” When Abraham was called by God, he left his comfortable surroundings, no questions asked.  Others like Moses have to be coaxed a little more. Whatever the case, they put their lives in God’s hands and traveled wherever God directed.

            For me “all-in” did not mean remaining in the national spotlight.  There was another short national stint as a sports reporter, then I was told to go back to my home town of San Antonio, Texas where as a bigger fish in a smaller market, I could make more of a difference for the kingdom. If I had been making the decisions, I would have probably chosen the national reporting job, but I was all-in now and it was not about me anymore.

            To this day, 21 years later, I feel like I am still “all-in” and now I believe God is moving me again, so it’s appropriate I am going back to the place where it all started. I am wondering if he will give me my next set of instructions as I stroll through the streets of the Big Apple? I am waiting with great anticipation.

            What about you?  If God asked you today, “Are you all-in?” What would be your reply? What would that mean for your life?