Taking Risks
Fight, flight, or faithfulness?
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Taking Risks isn’t easy. For some of us being reckless might be; for others being cautious comes more naturally. Psychology has popularized the notion of the fight or flight response. Taking risks is neither. Taking risks is a lot more like faithfully walking forward right where God has you.
Karl describes taking risks as a way of living that puts your faith in motion and gives you energy. One of the most famous Bible stories about taking risks is David and Goliath.
In all the retellings of this story, though, I believe we’ve lost some crucial context. David did not wake up that morning thinking he was going to face a giant. His task for the day was much more humble. His father had asked him to take food to his older brothers who were serving in Saul’s army. “And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him” (1 Samuel 17:20).
David was being faithful.
The problem was that for 40 days the armies of Israel had not been. For 40 days they allowed Goliath to come before them mocking God. David’s brother’s woke up every morning knowing that they were going to face a giant and they did nothing. Day after day and week after week they did nothing. When we don’t take risks, we often lose the energy to do much of anything at all, even if we know what we’re supposed to do.
David took a different approach. The first time he heard what Goliath said his response was “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:26)? David was right, but he should have never had to fight Goliath. All the other men there had military experience. They had weapons. Some had training. Saul, the Lord’s anointed king, had armor and a sword he tried to give to a boy instead of fighting himself. Somehow it was left to David to stand alone and kill the giant with a sling and a stone.
David was able to take risks other men wouldn’t because he put his faith in motion every day of his life.
When a lion threatened his sheep, he protected them. When his father asked him to bring food to his brothers, he delivered it. When a giant mocked the living God, he killed him.
The key to taking risks is understanding that God calls us to take risks every day. Maybe today’s risk is putting your smartphone down when you’re with other people. Maybe it’s preparing a meal for someone in need. Tomorrow God may ask you to speak up at a school board meeting or confront a relative about their destructive habits. Whatever He calls us to do today will prepare us to answer what He calls us to tomorrow.
The truth is, most days we don’t know if we’re going to be tending sheep and delivering food, or facing giants. Either way, the only way to do what God asks of us is to take risks.
Shawn
Executive Director, T7R