When I was an elementary school student, I thought time began in 1492.
I surmised that the written record of history began with the ditty,
“Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.”

That’s because every fall, when we cracked open our American Heritage history books, chapter one was all about the discovery of America. I didn’t know what happened before 1492 until I went to high school, and then I still didn’t have a grasp on the sweep of history. It wasn’t until I began teaching my own children that ancient history began to make sense.

Early in our homeschooling days, I made a timeline that wrapped around our dining room and stretched up and down the hallway. Contributions to our homemade timeline were added every year: Katie’s favorite books and authors, Sam’s sports facts, Anna’s musicians and Jacob’s inventors. Ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome took their place as we began to see the span of time come to life before our eyes. I sure learned a lot in our little schoolhouse. That’s why I still get a thrill out of stumbling upon a story plucked out of the annals of time—especially when that historical narrative has eternal overtones. Like this one:

In 1591, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez landed on the shores of Mexico with 600 men. Legend has it that after landing, Cortez ordered the ships to be burned. As the men saw their way of escape go up in smoke, they understood it was all or nothing. Conquer or die trying.

Maybe that happened. Maybe it didn’t. But it’s a story worth pondering.

I tend to make back-up plans. If I never tell anyone my big dreams, then it doesn’t matter if they never come to fruition. I like to keep an itty-bitty loophole open if things don’t work out the way I hoped. I keep the boat in the harbor in case I want to sail away at the last minute. The problem with back-up plans and loopholes is that they keep me from going all in.

Pastor Mark Batterson wrote, “If Jesus is not Lord of all then Jesus is not Lord at all. It’s all or nothing. It’s now or never. For many years, I thought I was following Jesus. I wasn’t. I had invited Jesus to follow me. I call it inverted Christianity. And it’s a subtle form of selfishness that masquerades as spirituality. That’s when I sold out and bought in. When did we start believing that the gospel is an insurance plan? It’s a daring plan. Jesus did not die just to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous.”

I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
No turning back.

Be dangerous.
Burn your boats.

“Any of you who does not
give up everything he has
cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:33
“Whatever you do,
do it with all your heart.”
Colossians 3:23