Risky Business

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3, ESV). To have hope you must have faith. Faith forces us to 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! You may be thinking that you are not a risk-taker. Okay. Let’s talk about risk. You will risk an awful lot to act on the things that are most important to you. If someone you love were drowning, you might risk your life to save him or her. Or if you believe strongly in justice, you might risk ridicule to stand up for someone who is being treated unfairly. All risks, reaching out, testing yourself, trying new things, accepting challenges, involve putting your values on the line. Sometimes the greatest risk may not be climbing the steepest mountain or sailing around the world, alone. It may be more risky to tell someone you care about that you are lonely, or to say, “I’m sorry.” 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 I’ve compiled are risks we should learn to take in order to challenge ourselves and discover who we really are. For example:  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?) Faith is risky business! However, without risk, there is not faith. And, without faith, there is no hope. Take a risk today!