What’s the biggest risk you’d like to take — but haven’t been able to?
As a teen I took plenty of risks. I bet you did, too. Crossing the traffic too close? Smoking pot? Unprotected sex? Riding in a car with a drunk driver? Jumping off a cliff into murky water? Hitchhiking across Europe?
Who would have guessed that the Bible endorses risk-taking? Yep. Here’s one place: “Those who are young, go ahead, take the risks, follow your heart and go after your vision, but know there are consequences to your choices. There’s no sense worrying too much about it, for youth and vigor soon vanish, like a wisp of smoke.” -Paraphrase mine, from Ecclesiastes 11: 9-10
Opportunities are brief, and consequences are real.
Some of our teen friends died from risky living. Some of our friends’ or family’s lives went down the drain from risky living.
Those of us still alive probably learned to be more careful in our choices. Maybe that caution turned into downright fear of consequences, leaving us stuck following rigid rules as if we could prevent all ill by being good, and fencing us off from any real childlike joy or fun.
The letter of the apostle Paul to the Romans warns about choices, too. He described some of the most heinous results of poor choices, like being “filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. . . envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. . . they invent ways of doing evil. . . no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. . .” -Romans 1: 29-31, NIV.
This is the stuff of the most wicked villains, the most hateful antagonists from novels, movies and television. Who comes to mind as you read these character traits?
But each was the result of one poor choice leading to another, eventually ruining the person.
Those wicked characters have one thing in common, according to Paul. Somewhere along the line, each villain made the poor choice of exchanging “the truth about God for a lie.” (Romans 1: 25)
Lies like this, maybe:
“If God was real/cared, He wouldn’t let ______ happen.”
“God sends people to hell.”
“God’s no fun.”
“God wants to control us.”
These are lies we may have believed without really knowing Him. I’ve had people believe lies about me without really knowing me. Have you?
If we get to know our Creator, we find He is caring, He’s given all to rescue us, He’s opened His arms to us, even made a way for us to renew our minds with truth and goodness and love. From that sweet spiritual relationship, we can enjoy all that is good, like laughter and kindness and loving relationships and heroic acts of helping others.
We can develop our character to become a protagonist in our story. We can make a positive difference in a world of free will. . . the world where we all get to choose, where we’re not robots, where we’re living, thinking, real people, and where yes, evil exists, but so does good.
Becoming the heroic protagonist in a story starts with a moment of truth. It’s that spark in every storyline where the hero’s fumbling attempts to achieve their goal runs flat up against their fatal flaw. They finally decide to risk it all. Courage propels them forward to face the unknown, and it all comes together to either win—or lose.
Underneath, in our heart of hearts, the risk is to believe, or at least start to believe, the truth about God. Which is simple—God is Love. God loves me. He lives in me. I’m the one He’s calling to make that difference. To right that wrong. To do the right thing, no matter the cost.
Is that a risk you’re willing to take? Are you able to take that risk? What would it cost you?
Have you ever said no to the cost? What was the cost of saying no?
What is the biggest risk you’d like to take, but haven’t—yet? And why?
Let’s talk about it in comments, below.
For a closer look at digging up faulty beliefs and replacing then with freeing truths, check out this guided journal:
Joan T. Warren: Heart to Heart 