Take a Chance

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:24-29 ESV). To have hope you must take risks. To have hope you must take action. To have any outcome worthwhile you must take risks. When you really think about it, our every action is at risk because there aren’t any guarantees. What I’ve learned is that the more risks you take, no matter how small, you’ll accumulate enough faith in yourself to plow through most challenges life offers every single day! The question that is always raised when taking a chance is whether it is worth it? Everyone will risk an awful lot to act on the things that are most important to them. If someone you love were drowning, you might risk your life to save them. Or if you believe strongly in justice, you might risk ridicule to stand up for someone who is being treated unfairly. Every risk, whether it is reaching out, testing yourself, trying new things, or accepting challenges involve putting your values on the line. Sometimes the risks involve seemingly small things. It may be more risky to tell someone you care about that you are lonely, or to say, “I’m sorry” than it would be to try to climb a steep mountain. There are many kinds of risks in life, emotional, intellectual and physical. The important ones are those that help you grow and express your values. The following examples are from an article I read recently:  To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. (so what!)  To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. (do it anyway!)  To reach out for another is to risk involvement. (Go for it!)  To expose feelings is to risk rejection. (Know where you stand!)  To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule. (Who cares? Its’ your life!)  To love is to risk not being loved in return. (Its’ a two way street!)  To live is to risk dying. (Its’ inevitable!)  To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure. (Can you imagine if all the great leaders didn’t?) Please remember that risks must be taken because the greatest tragedy in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing to look forward to, therefore is nothing. Yes, you may avoid some suffering and sorrow, but you can’t learn, feel, change, grow, or love. Take a chance! Trust the Lord and move in His power!