When Failure IS Failure

Hold My Root Beer: When You Baptize a Bad Idea

We’ve all seen it. Maybe we’ve done it. You get a wild idea - risky, unwise, poorly timed - and instead of hitting pause, you slap a Bible verse on it, call it “stepping out in faith,” and power forward like God’s your co-pilot.

It’s not wisdom. It’s just a bad idea in a choir robe.

But hey, it sounded spiritual.

“I just really feel like the Lord is calling me to max out this credit card. I mean, sowing and reaping, right?”

Cue the heavenly facepalm.

Not Every Door Is a Divine Invitation

Sometimes we confuse boldness with obedience. We think because we want it - or because it gives us goosebumps - it must be God. So we pour spiritual language over our plan like gravy over burnt toast. Still burnt, just holier.

God doesn’t bless ambition dressed up as faith. He blesses obedience. Even when it’s boring. Even when it involves waiting.

You Still Have a Brain for a Reason

Let’s not forget: the same God who gives spiritual gifts also gave you a frontal lobe. Wisdom isn’t unspiritual. In fact, Proverbs is basically God’s way of saying, “Please stop doing dumb things.”

Faith isn’t reckless. Faith is knowing who you trust - and waiting on Him before leaping off cliffs He didn’t tell you to jump from.

Discernment Isn’t Optional

If your plan needs dramatic signs, constant emotional highs, or twenty people to talk you into it, it might be time to slow down. God leads with peace and clarity - not pressure and panic.

Spiritual hype is easy to manufacture. Discernment takes humility, prayer, and usually one friend who loves you enough to say, “Hey… maybe not.”

Final Thought

Let’s stop baptizing bad ideas and blaming God when they sink. His plans are good, but they’re also wise. They may stretch us, but they don’t skip discernment, counsel, or common sense.

So next time you hear yourself saying, “Hold my root beer…”
Pause.
Pray.
And maybe put the idea in time-out for a day or two.

Note: But What About Abraham?
Sure, you might say - “Wasn’t Abraham about to sacrifice his son? Isn’t that the original hold-my-root-beer moment?” But here’s the difference: Abraham didn’t dream that up. He acted on a clear, direct word from God - not a vague impression or a wild hunch. His story is about surrender, not self-direction. And God stopped him before he did anything irreversible. That’s not a template for action - it’s a lesson in obedience and trust.

Why Abraham Doesn’t Break the Argument

1. Clear Direction, Not Personal Impulse
   Abraham wasn’t acting on a whim or emotion. He wasn’t trying to prove a point, impress others, or take a spiritual shortcut. He responded to a direct, unmistakable command from God - one that came after years of relationship, trust, and proven faithfulness. That’s a far cry from “I had a feeling, so I quit my job with no plan.”

2. Test, Not Template
   This wasn’t God launching a new sacrificial system. It was a one-time, covenantal test - not a spiritual how-to manual. God never asks anyone to do this again. The point wasn’t to normalize extreme faith gestures. It was to show that Abraham trusted God enough to surrender everything, believing that God could even raise the dead if necessary (Hebrews 11:19).

3. Radical Obedience vs. Reckless Assumption
   Abraham’s actions weren’t based on what he thought would be a good idea for God - they were rooted in God’s voice, not Abraham’s vision. Reckless plans we try to sanctify are often our ideas we want God to bless, not His instructions we’re surrendering to.

4. Provision Was the Point
   The story climaxes not with Abraham following through, but with God interrupting the plan. The angel says, “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” revealing that God never intended the act itself — only the willingness. The substitute ram appears, and God’s name becomes Jehovah Jireh — The Lord Will Provide. The moment wasn't about Abraham's boldness; it was about God’s faithfulness.

So no, the story of Abraham doesn’t justify jumping into reckless decisions and slapping a verse on top. Quite the opposite. It reminds us that true obedience comes from intimacy with God, not from adrenaline, emotion, or spiritual-sounding slogans.