The master was furious. “That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?…Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this ‘play-it-safe’ who won’t go out on a limb.”
~Matthew 25:26-29 (The Message)
Been thinking a lot about risk lately.
Not because I have a crazy desire to bungee jump from the Grand Canyon or make a sudden career turn toward the Jack Bauer life of danger.
Yes, you read that right. And, yes, I know raindrops sound about as threatening as an encounter with Bambi. (I now have the sudden urge to break out in song: Drip, drip, drop little April shower…)
But seriously, raindrops. Last week I hung out for a couple days in NE Iowa at a family camp. One of the evenings, as my sister and I crossed the camp grounds, these big ol’ raindrops started plopping…very sporadically. Drop here, drop there…enough for us to take notice, but not enough to send us jogging for cover. Yet.
Few minutes later, the paunchy clouds finally burst and the deluge propelled us into a run.
This would be a much better story if one of us had fallen face first into a mud puddle or had gone all Gene Kelly a la Singin’ in the Rain. (I totally would’ve, but I didn’t have an umbrella. Or tap shoes.)
But no. What that unexciting incident did, though, was provide the perfect picture of how God has been talking to me about the idea of risk. It started out slowly…a random devotional here, a discussion with a friend there. And then…the downpour. I’ve run into so many talks and sermons and verses about risk in these past few weeks, I half-expect to look up and see the word spelled out in skywriting across a canvas of blue.
Suddenly, I’m soaked. God’s talking.
My first impulse has been to think about “risk” in terms of the writing life—the risk of entering contests, pitching at conferences, approaching agents. But I have this bubbling-under-the-surface feeling God isn’t going to let me off the hook at that career level alone. He’s trying to tell me something more.
And while I’m not sure yet what he’s saying to me about my life, I think—I know—there’s a bigger picture thing going on here. And that bigger picture is for all of us “Christ followers.” Which is why I decided to blog about it.
But I’m still processing. So look for Part 2 next Friday. For now, I can’t help sharing this video—which I first saw that same weekend at family camp. It’s Francis Chan—my hero!—and he uses a balance beam to illustrate today’s common “play it safe” mentality. Funny, but also incredibly thought-provoking…and worth the four-minute listen:
More to come next week! But maybe you can help me as I prepare to write Part 2: Ever think about risk in relation to your faith walk? What place do you think risk has in a Christian’s life? And also, any other Gene Kelly fans out there? 🙂
Comments 4
Awesome video! And it was what I needed today to hear. I’ve been debating homeschooling my daughter (nothing wrong with homeschooling)because of middle school drama (long story) and I need to take a risk and trust God to take care of her in public school. He’s been thumping me with it, but I’ve been ignoring Him and wanting to protect her myself. But who better to take care of her, but Him.
On a lighter note, I thought I might be the only who sung, drip drip drop little April showers when it rained. Nice to know I’m not. 🙂 I have tap shoes, what size do you wear? JK…I don’t share my taps. lol
Hehe…size 8.5, but I have no clue how to tap! 🙂
Yeah, actually after I posted that video, I realized maybe I should’ve included a disclaimer: I have nothing against homeschooling OR helmets! 🙂 But you’re right, who better to take care of your daughter in public or home school?! 🙂
Getting to this post a little later than usual, but, hey, my daughter got married, so I’ve been busy.
Now I’ve got “drip, drip, drop little April showers” stuck in my head at 5 AM. Thank you, M-Tagg.
And a profound reminder to risk.
Thank you more for that.
Yes, I think you had a perfectly good reason to read the post late, Beth. Glad the wedding was wonderful. Sorry about getting the Bambi song stuck in your head…:)